Episode 3: Special Report on Child Abuse in Durban
In his third episode of a Special Report on child abuse in Durban, Terence Pillay chats to Colonel Thembeka Mbhele from the South African Police Services about their role in protecting our children.
Listen to episode three on child abuse in Durban or read the details under the podcast.
The Department of Social Development launched Child Protection Week from the end of May to the beginning of June to highlight and raise awareness of the rights of children as laid out in the Child Protection Act of 2005.
But the number of cases of abuse in the Phoenix, Verulam, and Inanda reported to NGOs working with children and the crisis centre at the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Phoenix is proof that stronger action needs to take place.
Colonel Thembeka Mbhele is the spokesperson for the South Africa Police Services in Durban. She says while the Crisis Center might see high numbers of cases of child abuse, the cases that are reported are not that high.
Colonel Mbhele says children are at risk when they are placed under the supervision of adults they may not be familiar with. She says it’s also culturally normal for children to obey instructions from elders and so many perpetrators take advantage of this.
She urges people to report these cases more to the police and also to make someone aware of the problem immediately.
On Thursday, we chat with Doctor Shikar Bhugwandeen of the Crisis Center at the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital. Listen in at 8.40am.
Listen to Episode 1 and 2 as well as the Phoenix mom's full interview and the interview with the biological dad of the 4-year-old child below.
You can email Terence Pillay at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter: @terencepillay1 to tweet him your thoughts.
If you are a victim of abuse or have witnessed any form of child abuse you can contact Childline on their toll-free number 08000 55 555.