Whistle-blowers who break the silence around sexual abuse at schools are not safe, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said on Friday.
After a meeting in Johannesburg this week to discuss the issue, union general secretary Thulas Nxesi said problems that had been identified included police often not following up cases and, when they have done, not treating the matter in confidence.
This often led to the whistle-blower being exposed.
Relatives of abused children would collude to cover up the abuse, often for a small fee, due to their dire economic circumstances, said Nxesi.
Where the abuser was the teacher, male colleagues would protect the perpetrator and victimise or threaten the whistle-blower, he added.
”[There is also a] lack of support for the whistle-blower from the Department of Education,” said Nxesi.
”Such whistle-blowers have ended up being transferred to other schools.”
He emphasised that teachers and Sadtu were on the front line in the battle against child abuse, ”both to root out any abusers in our own ranks and to protect the brave individuals who are willing to stand up against abuse”.
”We cannot leave this matter in the hands of our female gender conveners alone. We expect everyone to come to the party — male teachers in the union, the community, the employer and the police.
”The union will be leading a campaign to break the silence and protect whistle-blowers.” — Sapa