THOHOYANDOU – During the Sixteen Days of Activism Campaign of No Violence against Women and Children 21 cases of sexual assault and rape were reported to the trauma centres of the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme (TVEP) at Tshilidzini and Donald Fraser Hospital in Thulamela.

According to the Programme Director of TVEP, Ms Fiona Nicholson, the two one-stop trauma centres for rape and domestic violence an average of 42 rape survivors per month, of which 30 percent are children under the age of 13.

She added that during the Sixteen Days, eleven of the victims and four of the perpetrators were children and three of the victims were pensioners, aged 65, 75 and 90. According to the statistics, five of the rapes took place in the bush, five took place in the victim’s bed and three elsewhere in the victim’s home, four at the perpetrators’ home, and one each at a school yard, inside a taxi, at a bar lounge and at a party.

In one case, armed perpetrators allegedly sodomised a 25-year-old man in his home.

Ms Nicholson added that five cases the perpetrators are boyfriends or ex-boyfriends of the victims, in one case the perpetrator was a neighbour, a well-known businessman is the suspect and in one case and it is alleged that a 48-year-old woman was raped by her biological son in her bed in another case. The three pensioners were raped at their homes and the youngest victim; a 5-year old girl was raped by a 12-year-old learner at the same school.

Ms Nicholson stated that it is clear that more work needs to be done in the Thulamela area and that “sixteen days are simply not enough to tackle our shocking reality.”

She added that they feel pessimistic about the future of the two trauma centres, due to the lack of assistance they received from the government and the local municipality. “Our foreign funders have said that they are not prepared to continue funding the provision of basic services that our own government is constitutionally obliged to provide.” This means that if they are not able to obtain alternative funds by April next year, the two centres may have to close.

Nearly three years ago, they received funds from a foreign government to enable the programme to equip and run a shelter, so that abused women and children have somewhere safe to stay. The money was, however, relocated, “because our own government were not willing to provide a building.