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Kids are not safe
16/07/2007 12:53 - (SA)
Verashni Pillay
Cape Town - Micéala Rossouw, 6: killed by her neighbour and kept in a box under his bed for two weeks. Sonja Brown, 2: murdered and thrown headfirst into a sewerage pipe. Steven Siebert, 4: sodomised and strangled by a workman three houses from his parents' house.
Headlines regularly scream out a new horror story involving an innocent child. And the most horrific of the cases have increasingly taken place in Cape Town.
In a recent interview, Joan van Niekerk, national co-ordinator of Childline, said research showed that Cape Town was the most dangerous city in South Africa for a child to live in.
Alarming figures
"There were 200 violent deaths of children per 100 000 of the population in Cape Town," she told News24, adding that Durban came second and Johannesburg third.
"The number of violent deaths of children is something we're very concerned about, particularly in cities."
The figures were for the major cities, as van Niekerk explained that figures from the rural areas were often deflated because of under reporting.
Cape Town was worse off than other cities because of the "huge pockets of poor housing, poverty, gang violence".
The recent case of Candice Kasper, an eight-year-old girl who went missing in Kraaifontein, is a typical example. Her parents were arrested on Wednesday for child neglect and child abuse after unconfirmed reports that they allowed their daughter to drink with them.
Growing alarm
South Africans have watched the headlines with a growing sense of alarm as violent crime against children have become increasingly worse. Sonja Brown was buried by hundreds of grieving community members in Rawsonville, Cape Town on Sunday.
Hers was the latest gruesome murder of an innocent child, that shocked the country, as well as her community.
Little Sonja's body was found in a manhole about 150m away from her parents' home a week ago by municipal workers after they pumped the contents from a sewerage pipe. She had disappeared without a trace from her parents' home the previous weekend.
Her suspected killer, Booi "Boytjie" Marthinus, 43, has appeared in court on a charge of murder.
It's easy to feel helpless in the face of such a pervading evil in our society, but van Niekerk said there are steps all communities can take to protect their children. "The first couple of hours after a child disappears is the most critical period," she said.
Whatever the perpetrator does to the child, usually happens soon after the abduction. "If someone has taken the child you have to act very quickly."
24 hour myth
Unfortunately, a myth that you have to wait 24 hours before reporting a child missing has meant that precious time is lost when a child goes missing. "It's very important that parent's realise this is not true," said van Niekerk. The 24 hour waiting period is in place for adults, but not for children, who are recognised as being more vulnerable.
"Children should be reported and investigated immediately," van Niekerk warned.
However Van Niekerk said that they have had an alarming increase in the number of phone calls from parents who complain of being turned away from police stations within the first 24 hours of their child gone missing.
In those cases she advised parents to call Childline or the police helpline. "Get some ammunition and go back to the police." Parents and guardians are entitled to insist that they be helped. If policemen are ignorant on the law as applied to children or reluctant to open a docket, parents can ask to speak to the station commander if necessary.
"Immediately alert the people in authority as soon as you know the child is not in their usual places," said van Niekerk. "the younger the child the more rapidly you should act."
Older kids at risk too
But even older children, and children suspected to be runaways are still exposed to great danger. "The fact that the child has run away doesn't mean that the child is safe.
"They are likely to expose themselves to all kinds of abuse." Van Niekerk warned that teenagers too could be very trusting of people they shouldn't trust, and end up getting raped, drugged and worse.
And as the headlines continue to appal community members, the pressure is on for communities to gather together and protect their children.
Call Childline tollfree on 08000 55555 in case of an emergency. No matter where in the country you call from, your call will be directed to the Childline helpline nearest to where you are calling from.
- News24
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