Letter of the week: ‘House of horrors’ raises questions
I HAVE been involved in childcare for more years than I can remember but the news about children being abused is always one of those issues that touches my heart and make my blood to boil. I am following the current ‘House of horrors’ case in Springs and I am absolutely appalled by the adults …
I HAVE been involved in childcare for more years than I can remember but the news about children being abused is always one of those issues that touches my heart and make my blood to boil.
I am following the current ‘House of horrors’ case in Springs and I am absolutely appalled by the adults who knew about the abuse that took place, but were too scared of the father to say anything.
They, as adults, were scared of the father: can they think how those children must have felt to live every day in the presence of the man?
We all have a moral responsibility to protect ALL children and I hope that the justice system will not fail these children.
Those adults that knew what was happening are accomplices to this hideous crime because they kept quiet.
It is not a fact in SA law that not to report a crime is a crime in itself?
What message do they send to those children? ‘Sorry, but I am scared of your dad and your pain is not my problem’!
How did they go to bed at night and sleep if they knew what was happening to those children?
How will those children trust an adult again?
If adults are too scared to be the voices of reason for defenceless children then we live in a sick society that has no compassion for what was done to the souls of those youngsters.
It is easy for the physical wounds to heal, but what about the psychological wounds – that cannot be healed with a band-aid strip?
It will take years for children to come to terms with the fact that the very person who is supposed to protect them is the perpetrator.
God made dads to protect and keep their children safe, not to punish them inhumanly.
There were many things those silent adults could have done.
They could have made an anonymous call to Child Line or to the Crime Stop line.
Section 27 of the Constitution says that the interest of the child is paramount. We need to start living it!
ZULULAND SOCIAL WORKER
TOTALLY ANON PLEASE
LET DOWN BY THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THE SYSTEM
My son reported a case of child abuse to the SAPS and to the Dpt Welfare. The mother of the abused children denied this abuse. The children were interviewed by people not of their own language and culture therefore the abuse was swept under the carpet even though the ‘weapons’ used in the abuse were openly shown by the abuser to the SAPS. What was the outcome? Well, as long as no bones are broken in the process, this is called discipline and not abuse.” Apparently the Children’s Act which clearly states ‘a hiding with any sort of weapon other than a hand is abuse’ only applies in certain instances. These children are now left in the hands of an abuser to now be ‘legally’ disciplined as desired. Not SAPS nor Dpt Welfare are prepared to help. No psychiatrist was allowed to see the chilren nor were they questioned away from the influence of the place of abuse/abuser.
The Child Wellfare is also perpetrators of Section 27 of the Constitution. When I reported a case I was asked “And what are you doing about it?” I did what I had to do firstly reporting it to the Department and we helped the child where we could. But because of the Departments attitude we will not support them in any way.