'95% of child rapists go free'

2005-06-01 16:43

Cape Town - In South Africa, there is more chance of being caught for a traffic fine than for child rape, said the Democratic Alliance on Wednesday.

Speaking during a debate in the national assembly to mark International Children's Day, DA social development spokesperson Mike Waters said 59 526 crimes against children had been reported last year.

However, just under half (49%) were referred to court, and only 13% ended in a successful conviction.

"This represents a staggering 163 crimes a day against children, with only one in eight of the perpetrators being brought to book.

"The picture looks even worse when sexual offences are separated from physical assault," he said.

A total of 21 702 sexual offences were reported in 2004, of which 57% ended up in court, and only six percent resulted in convictions.

95% getting away with it

"The conviction rate is down from nine percent from the previous year. This means that nearly 95% of child rapists are getting away with it.

"You have more chance of being caught for a traffic fine than you have for raping a child. That is not putting children first," said Waters.

There were three main reasons for the low conviction rate. These included severe staff shortages at child protection units, severe staff shortages at forensic laboratories, and poorly-equipped sexual offences courts.

"If we expect communities to protect children, then we, as parliament, must ensure that we empower them to do so.

"We need to do this by properly resourcing the institutions that can make a positive impact on the plight of children... " said Waters.

- SAPA