Lack of access to support is aggravating abuse
VIOLENCE against women and children is aggravated by a lack of access to support services in their areas.
This is according to child rights group Molo Songololo director Patric Solomons, who says access to support services for children after they are abused is critical.
“This will impact whether children report cases of violence and abuse. Because if the cases are not reported, the children cannot get help. More cases in which the perpetrator is unknown to the child are more likely to be reported.
“Where the perpetrator is known to the child, they are less likely to report it,” he says.
According to Solomons, some rape cases also get reported by schools when teachers report behavioural changes in children. These children usually also perform badly at school.
“Later we discover the child was raped a few months earlier. The rape then led to the behavioural changes in the child in the beginning.”
He adds that children who don’t receive counselling after being raped or abused are at high risk. They become traumatised and often withdraw. Chances are that they will drop out of school. They are usually between 10 and 17 years old.
Solomons notes that there has been an increase in violence against children, “especially among young children. Even babies are raped.
“This is happening far too frequently and has become
‘Later we discover the child was raped a few months earlier’
a huge problem in our communities. Communities have become desensitised and have almost normalised violence against children. Something substantial needs to be done to bring an end to the violence against children.”
Socio-economic issues also need to be addressed effectively in poor communities, Solomons believes.
The child support grant is not going to fix poverty. “It is not going to get people out of poverty. The amount people who are working are paid also impacts on how they take care of their children,” he adds.