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Call for creation of national centre on child abuse
08 October 2002. Republished courtesy of IRIN PlusNews.
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A UN human rights expert has urged that child victims of sexual violence in South Africa be provided with prophylaxis against HIV/AIDS in schools, shelters and police stations, and recommended the creation of a "National Centre on Child Abuse and Neglect".
Visiting South Africa last month, Juan Miguel Petit, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), called for urgent efforts to address an apparent increase in sexual violence against children in South Africa, a UNCHR statement said.
In his preliminary findings, Petit said there were reports that young children were being targeted as sexual partners in order to reduce the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. It was also reported that instances of child rape were being committed by individuals who believe that sex with a virgin would cure them of HIV/AIDS.
In addition to recommending that access to treatment, care and support be made available to children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, Petit urged that child victims of sexual violence in South Africa be provided with HIV/AIDS drugs.
"Serious efforts need to be made to alleviate poverty and unemployment, as many acts of sexual violence against children appear to result from anger and boredom," he added.
The Special Rapporteur pointed out that although there were many committed actors working on behalf of children's rights in South Africa, there were problems concerning the coordination of their activities. There was, for example, no specific referral centre, no first entry point for children who have been abused, the UNCHR statement said.
He suggested a "multi-sectoral children's ministry" to bring the many actors together, for example a National Centre on Child Abuse and Neglect, or an autonomous agency for children, "fully resourced and with qualified staff".
Petit visited South Africa from 16 to 26 September, following an apparent increase in the number of reported rape cases involving very young children and babies. The full report of his mission is to be presented to the Commission on Human Rights at its forthcoming session in Geneva in March 2003.
In his preliminary report, Petit said the rape of children was not a new phenomenon in South Africa. "The increase in the reporting of rape cases is a welcome development, compared to the situation prior to the ending of the apartheid regime in 1994, before which time very few of the many rapes occurring were ever reported," he noted.
Both boy and girl children are victims of rape, with some estimates suggesting that where babies are concerned, the ratio of boy to girl victims was 50:50. The majority of rapes are reportedly committed by family members or individuals who are known to the child.
"Of great concern is that the age of the perpetrators of rape is getting younger ?– even young boys and teenagers are now being implicated in acts of sexual violence. Similarly, reported instances of gang-rape are increasing," he said.
The issue of trafficking of children in South Africa had received very little attention, and "trafficking" itself was not yet recognised as a criminal offence. However, there were reports of South Africa becoming both a receiving and a transit country for child victims of trafficking, both from other parts of Africa and from Asian countries. Current food shortages in countries bordering South Africa had contributed to an increase in trafficking of children, Petit said.
Meanwhile, high levels of poverty coupled with domestic abuse are forcing children, mainly girls, into prostitution. A children's grant, paid by the government to poor families ends when the child reaches the age of seven. As a result "many children drop out of school as their parents are unable to afford to pay the schools fees. In some cases, a family friend or relative assists the child to attend school in return for sex", the Special Rapporteur said.
The AIDS epidemic has left many children orphaned, and the breakdown of traditional extended family structures has led to a rise in the number of child-headed households in South Africa. In many of these families, girls may resort to prostitution in order to feed her siblings.
Petit recommended that the children's grant of R130 (US $13) per month should be extended and made available to all children at least up to age 15. The possibility of part of the grant going directly to the school to cover school fees should be explored, he added.
[This item is delivered to the UN's humanitarian information unit but, but may not necessarily relect the views of the United Nations[/i]
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