- A six-year-old girl said she was raped inside a school toilet in Soshanguve.
- The girl says the man barged into the bathroom, placed her on top of the seat, and sexually assaulted her.
- According to the director of the Teddy Bear Foundation, there is no reason for a child to lie about being sexually violated.
WARNING: This story contains graphic content.
A child makes up stories about cartoon characters, TV characters and other role models they identify with, but will never make up a story about a horrific crime of sexual abuse, according to the director of the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children, Dr Shaheda Omar.
Omar spoke to News24 on Wednesday in the wake of reports that a six-year-old Grade 1 pupil from Khensani Primary School in Soshanguve, north of Tshwane, was allegedly raped in the school's toilets last week, allegedly by a general worker.
According to the girl's mother, the incident occurred on Monday, but she only noticed what happened to her child on Tuesday.
The mother told News24 the girl said someone came into the toilet she was in, placed her on top of the seat, and sexually violated her.
Omar said sexual abuse was never a social discussion for children and they would never randomly speak about it unless they experienced it or saw it happening.
"What we need to understand and appreciate is that a child usually speaks about positive things. They will make up stories about cartoon characters, TV characters or role models they identify with, but it is unlikely that a child can speak about horrific crimes around sexual abuse. Firstly, this is a young child, with age inappropriate knowledge," Omar said.
A medical report has reportedly revealed the child was sexually assaulted.
ICYMI | Grade 1 pupil raped in Soshanguve school toilet
MOTIVE
Police were investigating a case of rape.
By Wednesday afternoon, there had not been any arrests, said police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele.
Omar said child abusers had a modus operandi of coercing children and then silencing them by threatening they would not be believed if they spoke about it.
The threats scare and traumatise the children, she added.
Speaking to News24 over the telephone, the heartbroken mother said her child recalled that the worker, who violated her, was wearing a mask - and that he also worked at the school, according to her knowledge.
Omar said it was commendable that the girl was able to identify and describe her abuser, and that she had no reason to make up such a story.
She said:
Omar said, in all the years Teddy Bear had worked with children, it had taken a stance of listening to, and believing, the children.
She said the case needed to be taken seriously because it would also leave an impact on the child if it was not resolved.
Omar said, if the case was not taken seriously, it would make the child think she was not believed and silence her from making further sexual abuse disclosures in the future.
"The important thing to appreciate is that it takes a lot of bravery and courage for a child to come forward because children don't know how to begin. They don't have the vocabulary, the language, to articulate something that they themselves cannot make sense of," she said.
Commend bravery
Omar said it was important for children's disclosures to be validated.
While the six-year-old's mother pointed fingers at the principal for "defending" the school, the Gauteng education department said it was working closely with police on the case.
News24 reached out to the school on Wednesday, but the principal referred the publication to the department.
The department called on anyone with information to contact law enforcement agencies.
The girl was not back at school yet, the department added.
Omar said it was important to remind the girl that what happened was not her fault.
She said:
She added that questions to the child should be asked carefully, to avoid confusing her.
The chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, condemned the incident in the strongest terms.
The chairperson said gender-based violence remained a grave concern in the country, particularly during the period of Women's Month.
"I am disturbed. I am angry. We cannot allow our young girls to go through this in schools. I appeal to the authorities to ensure a thorough and speedy investigation to ensure justice for our young learner.
"It will not change what happened to her, but it should act as a deterrent for perpetrators of such heinous acts," Mbinqo-Gigaba said.
*News24 is not naming the mother to protect the identity of the minor.