GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Sexual cases involving various juvenile suspects have recently reached new heights in the Graaff-Reinet area.
The police are currently investigating 14 sexual related crimes involving 14 accused teenagers and their underaged victims.
The Graaff-Reinet police cluster commander, Brigadier Rudolph Adolph said in the latest incidents of sexual violence against children, the youngest victims are younger than 6-years-old and the youngest offenders are 13-years-old.
Adolph said about five accused minors aged 13; one aged 14 and one aged 16, are being investigated for sexual offenses.
A further seven teenagers of 17 years old are also being investigated.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) regional spokesperson for the Eastern Cape, Tsepo Ndwalaza said the NPA will only intervene when these youngsters are arrested and they appear in court.
“But because they are juveniles, I have a strong feeling that the social workers will have to be involved,” said Ndwalaza.
Member of the executive council and chairperson of the community service committee for the Dr Beyers Naudé municipality, Notizi Vanda expressed her concern for the magnitude of sexual offenses these youngsters.
“As a parent, community member, former teacher, and a councillor, I’m also concerned about the many incidences of rape. There are those cases that are reported, but what about those that aren’t,” said Vanda.
She said the current objectives are to deal with the high levels of drug abuse within the communities and that this might be an outcry for social intervention.
“This is affecting the whole community. How I wish that we can all come together and deal with drug dealers and social impairment.”
Vanda also said there must be a way of dealing and rehabilitating these juveniles.
Women & Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) said the organisation is greatly outraged with the number of sexual abuse cases that are appearing in the news lately.
The WMACA’s advocacy manager, Joanne Barrett said the horror of it confirms that there is a sexual onslaught on children of the country.
“Instead of them being protected, they’re being viciously abused by the predators who hunt them and secondarily, by the justice system,” said Barrett.
“We keep asking for severe condemnation for these crimes to be shown at every level, from where or how they happen, through to the handling of a case by the justice system. We seriously need a harsher zero-tolerance way of dealing with these crimes.”
She said, in the Graaff-Reinet cases, these are minors who have not yet reached puberty or are just over 12 years of age.
Barret describes this as a serious crime which causes significant harm as well as child sexual abuse or molestation. She said the law clearly states that children under the age of twelve (12) cannot consent to sexual intercourse under criminal law.”
“Because the law is not clear about minors raping another minor – we at WMACA are relying heavily on the justice system to make sure that justice gets done as well as having these offenders brought to book.”
Barret is also adamant that the perpetrators need to be charged with the serious crime they have committed.
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