EDITORIAL OPINION Protect all our children

A MOTORIST travelling down Prince Alfred Street in Komani had a most disturbing experience this week and one which should be a cause of great concern for parents.

She noticed a man, standing behind a vehicle, who had a few children aged about four or five, playing around him. As she approached, she saw him put one of the children’s hands on his private parts.

Screeching to a halt, she stared him down and raised her hands in outrage. His answer was simply to add an expletive when shouting at her to get lost. Outraged and in shock – and fearful of his reaction should she get out and confront him – she left the scene.

There were no details for the newspaper to provide to the police – like the vehicle’s licence plate or description of the man or even if the two were linked – but we shared her obvious horror at what had transpired.

The man’s relationship to the child or children is not known, neither is who he is or why he was with the children.

It is, however, quite obvious that he should not be around children and that there may well be parents or caregivers out there who have no idea that someone who has a close association with minors, may be involving them in such acts.

The callousness and abusive nature of his reaction to facing a possible confrontation is also of concern.

South Africa is ranked among the five countries in the world with the highest rate of child sexual abuse. It is indeed indicated that a child is raped every three minutes in our country.

Child Protection Week started on Sunday, prompting Child Welfare national director PJ Cloete, who hails from Komani, to call on all South Africans to protect our children. Be observant, report suspicious activities and most of all, help to protect the innocence of our children.