Johannesburg - In the past three years, more than 452 cases of sexual misconduct have been reported to the South African Council for Educators (Sace).
The 2022 crime statistics show, among other things, that 294 of the reported rapes took place at school.
The organisation said since it is clear that the criminal justice system fails victims of sexual offences, AfriForum advises schools, teachers, parents, and learners to act pro-actively against sexual bullying behaviour.
The organisation said this follows reporting, as well as Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga’s reaction in parliament last week about the increase in sexual offences in South African schools.
"These figures are alarming, and it is important that these cases are thoroughly investigated. In South Africa, sexual crimes and bullying are increasing daily. Schools must be a safe haven for children as well as for teachers, where they can focus on academics. Safe schools also ensure safe communities, not only now, but also in the future," said Leandie Bräsler, AfriForum’s manager for Youth Leadership.
AfriForum’s Private Prosecutions Unit Director, advocate Phyllis Vorster, blames social justice and security for not doing much to fight the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV).
"These statistics prove that the President, Minister of Justice, SAPS, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and courts’ promises to prioritise cases of gender-based violence and sexual offences with minor victims are only paying lip service to the public," said Vorster.
Vorster is of the opinion that the Independent Complaints Directorate should compile a dossier in which they answer questions such as: What have authorities done to ensure proper treatment and service at family courts? What have they done to ensure competent prosecutions of GBV matters? and What have they done about the current pandemic of GBV and sexual offences where minors are the victims?
"The application of the law in schools is disciplinary action. Our view is that we must ensure that the law becomes predictable. If the law is predictable and there is a predictable outcome when violations take place, it will be a good deterrent. The law must then also be applicable to both the perpetrator and the victim to prevent false accusations," Vorster said.
Bräsler said children will not necessarily say when they are victims of sexual violence, but parents and teachers may notice signs and must therefore be aware of what the signs may be, so that immediate action can be taken to stop or prevent incidents of this nature.
"These include physical indications such as unexplained bruises or emotional signs such as changes in behaviour. Some children may only show subtle signs, and some children may not even give any indications, but parents must work on the communication and trusting relationships between them and their children so that the children will feel comfortable mentioning any events of this nature to them," Bräsler said.
- Signs of child sexual abuse may include the following: Crying for no apparent reason
- Looking scared or showing signs of anxiety or depression
- Asking questions like “should people keep secrets?”
- Isolating themselves from friends and other people
- Showing harmful sexual behaviour
- Changes in sleeping patterns (sleeping a lot more or a lot less)
- Changes in eating patterns (drastically losing weight or drastically gaining weight)
- Academic performance suffering
The Star