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The pervasive nature of abuse has meant that it has permeated most strata of society, with even those that we are supposed to repose our faith in sliding down the pecking order as the cancer of abuse takes hold. A�
It would appear, it is those that we trust the most, those that we hold so dear, that hurt us the most and unexpectedly puncture that bubble of trust. When it comes to children it is quite inexcusable to dismiss anything untoward that they allege about another child, or worse still an adult.
This is the age that we live in, we are superficially connected through technology but emotionally and morally as distant as ever. Just this week in the United States a doctor that took care of their gymnastics Olympic teams for decades, Larry Nassar, was sentenced to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing athletes under his care, whom he misled into thinking he was helping them when he in fact abused them.
For years, there were sporadic whispers about his doings but they were swiftly dismissed about those that had worked with him over the years. He could do no wrong, they thought. It was the victims who were further victimised as they were made to feel that they were liars while the perpetrator carried on and preyed on the hapless young athletes. You can imagine if such can happen to urbanites, Olympic medallists, what chance do our children, both urban and rural, have against their perverted coaches, teachers and others in our communities.
What this case and many others that may not be of such a high profile show is that we need to be vigilant and fight against sexual abuse in all its forms, paying particular attention to the fact that it can happen to anyone, no matter their status. In our previous issue we had a story where a secondary school teacher got into a relationship with a pupil and after she fell pregnant he forced her to abort claiming that if she did not they would both land in deep trouble. Not only did the teacher abuse the trust that the parents had in him but also the trust that all his pupils had in him, since he is their parent during school hours. How many such cases of abuse go unreported and therefore unknown?
Apart from the fact that abortion is a crime in this country, it is quite worrying that it appears to be a growing option for women, illegal and deadly as it is. Elsewhere in this issue, we carry a story of a man that forced his wife, who had suffered two miscarriages before, to abort her pregnancy.
How heartless can one get? We feel it should be a crime to force someone to commit a crime and wonder if nothing in our statutes criminalises such behaviour since in our unequal relationships, women will always bear the brunt after being forced into illegal decisions by their powerful male partners. It is people in such close relationships that tend to abuse us the most and if adults are at the mercy of their loved ones in this way, we fear for the safety of the young, especially girls.
We have had concerns related to the American case on the local scene where a female soccer player alleged victimisation by a soccer coach after she turned down his advances. We doubt if that case was taken seriously by the authorities.A� It is such inaction that embolden abusers, giving them the impetus to brazenly ride roughshod over the rights of their victims. It is time, like the US judge pointed out, that the community learns to speak out and not be silent since it takes such silence for evil to thrive.
There are many monsters that should be in prison but roam free because of you and me who have chosen to be complicit by not speaking out. . .
derick.khumalo