Protect our girls from vulture pastors

I recently watched a live social media engagement in which young people from Limpopo were coming out to speak out about the alleged sexual abuse of young girls by a pastor.

They detailed the ordeal and their experiences, and I must say that it was too painful to stomach. I don’t want to focus much on whether the allegations are true or not, but I must say this is cause for concern – we have seen this movie before.

We have heard of stories before where girls and young women have been lured to pastors’ houses or elsewhere and abused sexually. Most of these young women, including underage girls, leave their homes willingly with the approval of their parents, who have extreme faith in the pastors.

They are often lured under the pretext of an evil phase they need to be helped with. It is during this arrangement that the young women are taken advantage of in the name of divine intervention.

They then go home too damaged and embarrassed to speak about their ordeal, thus letting the pastor get away with murder.

Years later, they choose to speak out but by that time there is little to no evidence to convict the perpetrator.

This vicious cycle must end. I urge parents to be vigilant and never trust any person with their children.

Again, parents must act whenever their daughters tell them that their pastor took advantage of them, and not defend the pastor.

We live in dangerous times where sexual abuse is outrageously prevalent.

We need to protect our girls from vultures.

Malphia Honwane Gottenburg, Mpumalanga