THE Family and Marriage Society of South Africa (Famsa) on Wednesday said it was deeply concerned about the threat posed to family life in the country resulting from the atrocities of child and women abuse. Famsa national director Annette van Rensburg said the incident in which a nine-month-old baby was gang-raped was one of many recent atrocities. ”Such experiences not only have a lifelong impact on the functioning and relationships of the victim but also on every member of his or her family and the community.” Van Rensburg said victims of abuse and their families require in depth trauma debriefing and counselling to cope with emotional and physical damage. ”The very perpetrators of violence are often victims of abuse themselves, abuse that went unattended. Famsa is able to equip families to cope with these situations.” She said much criticism has been levelled at the government for not curtailing crime adequately. ”However, every person in the community has to take responsibility for fighting abuse and to equip themselves with the necessary skills to assist the victims and their families affected by abuse. – Sapa