Why Bredasdorp’s shame gives the lie to our caring for kids
IT is Child Protection Week and yet again we mark it with an aspirational theme —“Working Together to Protect Children”. But are we? The South African media must be commended for putting incidents of abuse very high on their news agenda.
Just this past week, the body of a 15-year-old girl was found rolled in a blanket underneath a bed in her “home”— a shack she shared with her 28-year-old “boyfriend”.
Let us unpack this spine-chilling scenario. Elda Jafta was 15, a child, not living at home but with an adult male. Even the police absurdly stated that a “28-year-old man was arrested on a charge of murder following the discovery of the body of a 15-year-old at the residence they were sharing in the Bredasdorp area”.
The residence they were sharing? On what planet is it normal for a child to own and share a home with an adult man?
Let’s start with the father, because this unspoken belief that men are somehow exempt from taking responsibility for the children that they sire is wrong. Elda’s father is in prison, so she was among many South African children who grow up with the encumbrance of absent fathers.
Her mother, domestic worker Eva Jafta, concedes that her daughter was a good child who kept bad company and she never approved of Elda’s relationship with her alleged killer.
She claims that she tried on several occasions to keep her daughter away from the man and opened a case with the police, to no avail. He was charged with statutory rape and kidnapping last year, but was released.
Who knows the depth of the void that lured the little girl back into the arms of an older man? And to expect her mother to hold down a job and put food on the table while keeping a permanent eye on a daughter who clearly sought approbation is unfair.
Why did the criminal justice system not respond to this situation, and are social services geared towards identifying and removing vulnerable children from harmful situations?
Clearly not. The Department of Social Development says it got involved last year when the mother first reported the case. Both social services and the regional justice department say it is difficult when victims do not come to the party.
But how do you expect a child, who is obviously dependent on her abuser and driven to him because of the neglect she has experienced, to be enthusiastic about pressing charges? She was a minor who was expected to make such complex decisions. The poor child probably wasn’t even aware that she was being abused and manipulated.
The law must protect the most vulnerable in our society and manage their transition from mistreatment to safety.
What kind of society expects a neglected child, who is not in school, to make informed decisions and choices? It is not legal for a child to not be in
Who knows the depth of the void that lured the little girl into the arms of an older man?
school and the law is also clear on the age of consent. Why were the applicable statutes not implemented?
The Bredasdorp community is said to be despondent following Elda’s death. In light of the rape and murder of 17-year-old Anene Booysen three years ago and the recent rape and murder of five-year-old Kayde Williams, residents are wondering what is next.
Did the community know of a child living in a shack with a grown man? Did they see the two setting up home together and were they aware of the abusive nature of the relationship? What did they do about this?
A teacher at the school is reported to have spoken to Elda’s mother about her constant absenteeism. But that’s all. All signs were there that Elda was not living a normal life.
And now she is dead. Comment on this: write to tellus@sundaytimes.co.za or SMS us at 33971 www.timeslive.co.za