INTERNATIONAL
South Africans must value children
Dr Olive Shisana, the Human Sciences Research Council
(HSRC) Executive Director for Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Health says
South African must retain social principles such as taking care of every
child irrespective of biological parenthood. Dr Shisana spoke last night
at the launch of a book on sexual abuse of children, published by the
HSRC Press where she urged people to return to the principle of “your
child is my child” which has for centuries guided communities to care
about the live, welfare and health of every child. The book, Sexual
Abuse of Young Children in Southern Africa, is funded by the Ford
Foundation and it is a compilation of work by 20 experts in various
sectors including service providers, therapists, children's advocates
and researchers, compiled the book.
“We all grew up in our own communities saying your
child is my child and that spirit is already gone. We now look at
another child as somebody else's child,” Dr Shisana said at the launch
in Cape Town last night. She urged communities to bring change,
especially in the lives of children, by ensuring children's protection.
Dr Shisana told BuaNews that the book investigated
reasons behind child abuse in Southern Africa particularly in South
Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. She said the book provided a
theoretical framework and recommendation for actions that should be
taken in terms of protecting children.
“I think this is just the beginning to get people to
re-look at issues related to sexual abuse. The book also tackles the
issue of sexual abuse and HIV particularly the myth that men tend to
rape young children because they are trying to cleanse themselves of the
HI-virus. This is an area that perhaps we should work hard towards
dispelling, because it has got no supporting evidence,” she added.
Dr Shisana also encouraged children who had been the
victims of sexual abuse to put the ordeal behind them. “What they need
to do is to say I can overcome this experience, out of this terrible
experience I could become resilient, strong and a better person to try
help other children not to be abused,” she said.
By Nombini Matomela
15 March 2004
home /
Previous feature
|