“PUT THEIR FACES ON LAMP POSTS” SAYS TOP
COP
“The faces of sexual offenders
should be put on lamp posts”, were the words of WC Provincial Commissioner,
General Arno Lamoer, at the opening of a child-friendly room in Ceres. He stated
that the Western Cape has a “Hall of shame for drunken driving”, but it is more
important to make the sexual offenders known to the public. Actioning a sexual
offences register will also help in the fight against child abuse.
The opening of the Matla A Bana
child-friendly room at Ceres Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual
Offences Unit was one the many projects implemented Matla A Bana during the 16
Days of Activism of No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign during this
week. This is one of the first facilities of its kind in the rural Western Cape
countryside and the child-friendly assessment room will create a safe
environment for children to disclose in and be assisted. According to General
Lamoer, child abuse rates here are much higher than in the city, due to the
excessive substance abuse in these areas. This is the ninth facility implemented
by Matla A Bana in the Western Cape, with the last two being the victim room at
Paarl Hospital and a reporting facility at Stellenbosch FCS unit, which was also
launched this week.
“We must stop campaigning and
live the lifestyle of making the world of women and children better”, Genl Lamoer challenged companies and
charities, whilst applauding Matla A Bana for doing just that. He also
challenged men in South Africa to stand up. According to him 98% of the
perpetrators are men and it is time that men stand up, admit that they are
abusers and say sorry. “How is it
possible that an adult male can take off the nappy of a one year old child and
rape her?”, is the kind of question he asks every day when he reads about these
cases in his daily crime stats reports. Even though he is an experienced police
officer, he is still sickened by what men do to children. He put action to his sentiments this year
when he placed a special group, “Men for change” in charge of the SAPS 16 Days
projects.
The Ceres FCS unit serves a vast
rural community stretching as far as the Koue Bokkeveld on the one side and the
Warm Bokkeveld on the other. This unit has some of the highest incidences of
sexual offences against children in the Western Cape, but also some of the
highest successes. The FCS units in the Western Cape were responsible for
securing 39 life sentences this year against sexual perpetrators.
Matla A Bana was founded by
ex-hostage, Monique Strydom, who applauded this special police unit for the work
they are doing. Not only for arresting
perpetrators, but for taking such special care of the child victims. The
officers of the Ceres unit played an active part in creating the facility by
doing the building alternations to create the room themselves. They were however
strapped for funding to finish the facility and this is when Matla A Bana with
the help of Roman’s Pizza stepped in. Matla A Bana will be opening an eight
facility at Muizenberg FCS unit early in the New Year. This facility serves a
large portion the Southern Suburbs.
Whilst the police and
organisations like Matla A Bana, will work effortlessly to stop the abuse of
children, this will only happen once men take responsibility. If you are a man
and in a leadership position and would like to join the campaign to stop child
abuse, you can contact Matla A Bana on
matlapr@mweb.co.za
