Our challenges are twofold It was with horror that we learned of a molestation case in Swakopmund, certainly not the first and most definitely not the last, where four minor girls were molested for a period of more than a year, repeatedly. It is not often that we report on child rapes, not as often as car crashes and corruption in any case, but they are prevalent. Molestation however, not so much.
This is a concern because molestation of minor boys and girls exists and we are sure that it is quite common. What we do see however, is that these cases are reported after an extended period of time. There are several factors which contribute to the low rate of reporting of these matters. One of these is that the parents do not know. They are absent from the home, working in some cases, and in others, drinking at shebeens, entirely unaware of where their small children find themselves. Statistics have shown though, that most cases of molestation are perpetrated by someone the family, and the child, knows. More often than not, a brother or sister, or an uncle or aunt, or a grandparent.
And then it becomes a matter of shame for the family. Parents do not want people to know their child has been touched or they do not want people to know that their brother or sister or parent, whatever the case may be, is a paedophile.
In most cases, these children are not provided with any form of counselling, and there is no justice for them as the perpetrator is protected, by the very people who should be protecting the child – the parents.
So our challenges here are twofold: We have irresponsible parents who leave their children at home when they go to the shebeen, or even worse, they take them with, leaving them open to predation. The other challenge is working parents who leave their children home in the afternoons, in the care of an older sibling, as was the case in Swakopmund, and this type of predation takes place while the parents work.
Maybe it is time that parents are held responsible too, if neglect can be shown. As is the case in other countries, including the UK.