One in three girls will be sexually molested in South Africa – and it often happens at school, writes Charlene Smith
A Johannesburg girls’ high school is refusing to suspend a teacher who was accused this week of raping a 14-year-old pupil.
The teacher is also facing further allegations of rape and making indecent suggestions to pupils.
The teacher from Queens High School in Jeppe,was present at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. He was not formally charged, as vital information was missing from the prosecutor’s docket. An official at the court said a charge would be laid once the information was gathered and that police were investigating further allegations against him.
The child, a boarder at Queens High, first confided in a guidance teacher two weeks ago.
Although her parents confronted the school 10 days ago, the school and the Gauteng Department of Education, which was told of the allegations, failed to contact the police or suspend the teacher.
The child’s mother said the principal had asked them “not to contact the child protection unit because then it will be a criminal case”.
“I said what this man had done was criminal. After we went to the child protection unit a medical examination showed that there had been penetration and it was still healing,” the mother said.
Terry Wilsenach, headmaster at Queens High, said: “There was an accusation made. I spoke to the parents and got a member of the governing body, a lawyer, involved with the parents’ consent.
“They agreed to allow the district educational co-ordinator, Mrs [Dalene] Louw, to look into the matter. My concern was to get to the truth of the matter.
“Mrs Louw began inquiring into the matter on Friday [last week] and the teacher will remain teaching until we get substance to the allegation. I did not believe the first course was to contact the police.”
Louw failed to return numerous phone calls and messages left by the Mail & Guardian.
Gauteng Department of Education representative Lebelo Maloka was unaware of the case, but said schools had internal processes to follow in such instances, including contacting the police.
The child alleged that in March the teahcer told her to come to his flat on the school premises at night because he needed to speak to her.
She did and claims he went to the kitchen and poured her something to drink.
“After that I didn’t feel so good. He took me to the bedroom and took my clothes off. He lay on top of me and put his penis in me. Afterward I went to the dorm, I felt scared. It made me feel disgusted and ugly.”
She alleges he has since asked her to return to his flat, but she has refused. Her school marks have plummeted.
Allegations have been made that four other girls were also sexually assaulted and a 16-year-old girl was asked whether she has “ever been fingered before”.
According to Captain Edward Hutcheons, head of the child protection unit, complaints had previously been made to Childline about the school, but the police could not act until a formal complaint was lodged.
Hutcheons says children are often too anxious and afraid to complain. “Children in their early teens are at particularly high risk from molestation. Sometimes children fear what their parents or others will say.
“They are afraid of going to court. They don’t know about the Child Court and the Transvaal Memorial Institute child abuse clinic where there is a court support programme.
“If a case goes on trial and the child must be a witness they have a fake court and play it out on a Saturday morning before the court case. The child does not have to testify in the same court as the accused.”
Hutcheons says the unit has a number of cases pending against teachers. “Usually a child molester is a person who is close to children. It is a church pastor, a teacher, a youth leader. If you look at the professions they always deal with children. They are in a position to misuse their authority.
“Schools that receive complaints should immediately suspend the person and find out if any other children are involved.
“Usually, however, the school see police as the enemy and protects its people – the staff: it tries its best to keep it under the carpet. And the children become intimidated by the ongoing presence of the teacher.
“The bail conditions, however, are that he may not directly or indirectly have contact with the witness and that includes his presence on school premises.”
Lynn Cawood of Childline Gauteng said one in three girls, and one in five boys, experience sexual abuse in South Africa. She added that many of them will experience it at school. “Some of the most prestigious schools in Johannesburg have this problem.”
She said “career paedophiles” target professions that give them access to children for their sexual gratification. “Schools need to work out policies on sexual harassment, rape and indecent assault.
“Schools are responsible for the safety of children in their care, and need to suspend any person against whom charges are levelled, and call the police. But the reality is that about 90% of paedophiles get away with it.
“In terms of the Child Care Act one is obliged to report every act of sexual violence against a child.”
Cawood said children were loath to report such crimes because they were often intimidated by the perpetrators.
“Very often when they break the silence children are victimised by their peers and teachers. They carry shame and guilt and are stigmatised.
“If they wanted to be malicious there are other ways to do it and not with such an onerous cost to themselves. Every child who reports is courageous.
“Children have normal sexual urges and children may feel guilty, often where there is not violence, that they have a pleasurable sensation. They may feel shame and guilt and feel they participated in it, and when they do tell they are victimised and ostracised.
“So many children go underground and keep this secret into adulthood, which has a profound impact on their capacity to trust and feelings of self-esteem.”