Children being raped by their own parents has become a growing pattern in South Africa, but there might be many more unreported cases because many children suffer in silence, says a psychologist.
Teddy Bear Clinic for abused children director and psychologist Dr Shaheda Omar told TimesLIVE that some children who were raped by their parents were reluctant to report them. This was because some minors feared the arrest of their parents and abandonment.
The heartbreaking reality of child rape has once again gained the spotlight after the recent arrest of a Limpopo policewoman accused of raping her 10-year-old son. She was arrested after a video of the alleged incident circulated on social media.
“It is shocking that a law enforcement officer could inflict harm on a child who is vulnerable, defenceless and powerless,” Omar said.
With years of experience in dealing with child rape, Omar said fathers were more often reported for molesting minors than mothers. Crime statistics show 62% of 10,000 rapes happened at the homes of victims.
“While there might not be frequent reporting of mothers raping their own children, one cannot say it is not happening because there are probably cases that have not been reported.”
She said children who report their parents often suffer from regret.
“There are also feelings of ambivalence. You will find that a child did not like what the mother was doing but continued to like the mother.
“When the child is taken away from the mother, some grow up with feelings of abandonment, isolation and loneliness. They also feel guilty that the mother was incarcerated because of them,” she said.
Limpopo police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe said the child in the case investigated was in a place of safety and receiving psychological support. He was removed from the care of his mother pending investigations.
“The actions of the woman are deplorable and deserve harsh condemnation,” Hadebe said. “The identity of the woman cannot be divulged to protect the child.”
Distributing of video worsening child abuse
Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) spokesperson Javu Baloyi appealed to the public to stop sharing the video, saying it continues the abuse of the child.
“The constitution stipulates that every child has the right to be protected from neglect, abuse or degradation,” Baloyi said.
Behaviour to look out for when a child is abused:
- In both genders, there is a change in behaviour, a traumatic and drastic change. A child who was usually silent and compliant suddenly becomes aggressive and unruly.
- Boys are more likely to be aggressive; sometimes victims bully other children.
- Some children withdraw from activities that they enjoyed and show a lack of interest in their hobbies.
- Their attention span gets affected and school work suffers because they are not able to concentrate. Some stay out of school.
- Some develop sleeping disorders, either sleeping too much or not sleeping at all, and suffer from nightmares.
- Some complain of head or stomach aches and other pains of which there is no medical explanation. The child is suffering from trauma and cannot articulate what is happening to them.
- Some suffer from eating disorders, eating too much or not at all, because they have so much pain. Children suffer from bulimia and anorexia.
- A child who went through potty-training suddenly loses control of their bowels.
- Some start biting their nails and pulling their hair. That happens with both genders. Abused girls attempt suicide, whereas boys actually commit suicide.
Source: TimesLIVE
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