MISA helps raped children

30 May 2022

MISA helps raped children for Child Protection Week 2022

Do you know a child is raped every 3 minutes in South Africa, 80% of them by someone they know, a father, a brother or an uncle?

Do you also know that 88% of all child abuse cases are never reported to law enforcement authorities? In most cases where the child informs a mother, grandmother or even a teacher, they are accused of lying and told to stop making up stories.

Martlé Keyter, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Operations, says MISA is internationally renowned for its fight and stance against violence and harassment in the workplace.

“During National Child Protection week from 29 May 2022 to 5 June 2022 MISA, with the help of the Union’s Women’s Forum and Young Worker’s Forum decided to help raise awareness against abuse, exploitation, neglect and all forms of violence towards children.

“During the previous financial year the rape and murder of children increased by 31.7%. A socking total of 287 children were murdered.

“According to Statistics South Africa only 29% of gender based violence cases are committed by complete strangers, while nearly 50% are committed by someone close, such as friends or acquaintances, a relative or household member. If South Africa continues to fail our children, we are failing our future,” says Keyter.

MISA is donating 365 rape kits to victim empowerment centres nationwide, to minimise the secondary abuse and trauma suffered by children during the humiliating medical examination process and unsympathetic reporting system.

Yesterday MISA made its first donation to the Sinoville Crisis Centre (SCC), a non-profit organisation who has assisted amongst others Ina Bonnette, the victim of the ‘Modimolle monster’ Johan Kotze.

Today MISA donated to Matla A Bana, a non-profit organisation who, in partnership with the South African Police Service (SAPS), developed various projects to minimise secondary abuse over the past 19 years. To date these projects assisted more than 30 000 children every year who report crimes.

Matla A Bana was founded in 2002 by Monique Strydom, who is known as one of the hostages who was held hostage by Abu Sayyaf rebels for 127 days in the jungle on the Philippine island of Jolo, in 2000.

Lizel van Eeden, Gauteng Coordinator of Matla A Bana, says she has a list of specialised units of the SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), where the MISA rape kits will be distributed.

#MISAONTHEMOVE #MISACARES

Issued on behalf of MISA by Sonja Carstens, Media, Liaison and Communication Specialist.