“I believe that every child is born innocent and with not a thread of evil in them. It is our duty to protect their future,” said Steve Heath from the Buddy and Me project.

Buddy and Me is the visionary project of Steve, which he started to help break the conspiracy of silence surrounding child rape. Last week, Steve rode into town with his Beach Buggy, named Buddy, on an awe-inspiring trip through South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. He stopped over at the local Bears furniture store.

The purpose of the trip is to create awareness of the enormous problem of child rape in especially Southern Africa. Steve has been researching child rape since 2005, when he launched his first project.

During 2005/6, he undertook a project named Operation Bear – The Bear facts – Searching for a solution to the sexual abuse and rape of children. The project involved his driving through South Africa and Africa, with his Beach Buggy named Buddy, covering more than 60 000km over a period of 14 months.

After this trip, he wrote his book titled Buddy and Me – An Africa Odyssey, Searching for a Solution to Child Rape, setting out his research regarding child rape.

Steve decided to undertake a second trip, to generate the maximum exposure and raise money for the three organizations that he supports. They are the Teddy Bear Clinic, The Bobbi Bear Foundation and the Tyger Bear Foundation Trust. These are all organizations that help and assist the victims of child rape, providing them with the necessary love and care that they so desperately need.

Steve will also speak in parliament upon arriving at his final destination in Cape Town.

“We want to see harsher punishment for child rapists and also want them to get tested for HIV,” said Steve. According to him, the prevalence of child rape is much higher in South Africa, because the punishment is not harsh enough, resulting in repeat incidents. He explained that in countries like Botswana, rapists get tested for HIV and if a case of rape can be proven beyond reasonable doubt, the maximum sentence is death or 45 years’ imprisonment, without the option of parole.

“If we can get parliament to adopt a no-nonsense attitude, we will stop the evil cycle of child rape.”

People can log on to www.buddy.co.za, to download Steve’s book or to donate money to the project. Steve’s daily blog can also be accessed from the website, with up-to-date information regarding his crusade across the country.