A CHILD'S SILENT CRY

Introduction

The country is on fire, the nation is crying, our children are suffering, suffering in silence. When will this stop? When will the killings stop? When will the violence stop? When will the blackmail stop? Everyday, children are raped in South Africa. 24 387 cases were reported in 2018-2019, we can't even start to think about the cases that do not reach the SAPS. When will Child rape stop? Earlier this year, the University of Johannesburg's Public Relations, IT and Law students came together (in partnership with Brand SA) to identify and tell a story about a societal issue. I was fortunate enough to be part of this and together with my group we decided to give attention to the rapidly growing issue of child rape. Child rape is one of the biggest sensitive issues in South Africa. As a group, we conducted research based on the issue, interviewed a community leader dealing with Child rape cases and developed our story. We worked in a group of 7 and it was such an honor to have a woman of influence share her experiences with us, one of our group members conducted the interview below with Ms Wana Mubita, a community leader from Johannesburg whole helps child rape victims get justice and overcome the trauma.

Open the link below to view the interview with Ms Wana Mubita:

Conducting an Interview during Covid-19:

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we had to conduct the interview virtually. Our group came together and prepared questions in order for us to get the information we needed, our group representative had to use these questions during the interview and this assisted her to be well prepared for the interview and to also gather useful information from the interviewee. We got educated through the interview and we learnt a lot from this incredible young woman.

Below is a picture of Miss Wana Mubita, a Child rape Activist and community influencer:

Learning experience and Outcomes:

Through our conducted research and interview, we got to know more about child rape. Many children are victims of child rape and are blackmailed by their perpetrators to not say anything about what has been done to them. Some perpetrators threaten to kill the child's family if the child dares to say anything to anyone and because children are naive, they easily believe this and keep quiet as a way to protect their loved ones. As a result, a behavioral change is visible in victims and usually school teachers are the first to pick up the changes as they spend the most time with children. It is not always easy for a parent to see that their child is going through a lot because most of the time, the abusers are those close to the child. Many children that have been sexually assaulted or rapped have been abused by a family member/relative/ religious leader or family friend and these are all people that the child's parents trust around their child. Both male and female children are victims of child rape. Some adults who are depressed today, are previous child rape victims that never got justice and bottled up their anger until today, they too need help to overcome their depression and past traumas.

Through this story telling assessment, I learnt that it is very important to pay attention to the behavioral changes of those around us, a change of behavior in a child could be a serious cry for help and should not be ignore, the same applies to adults. I learnt that one should pay attention to how a child behaves around a certain adult and if the behavior is odd, it is best to bring the child closer and make them feel comfortable to open us about how they feel about that adult or what the adult has done to them. Ms Mubita taught me the value and importance of helping those in need of your help and I realized that someone will always be in need of your help in this lifetime and a little help can go a long way, paying attention to others can go a long way and can save someone who was in danger.

Working in a group:

As an aspiring Public Relations practitioner, being a team play is part of who I aspire to be. Working in a group should be something usual and comfortable. Personally, I enjoyed working with my group members, they were incredible. It was easier to get the task done because we split duties and everyone put in their best work. This project made us become closer as we bonded and opened up to each other, sisterhoods and brotherhoods were formed through this. We got to learn more about each other and to see things from different perspectives as we were having conversations that led to different revelations. The challenge we faced was making decisions and picking an idea, we had too many great ideas and we took a lot of time trying to figure out the best. We'd also get carried away and lose track of time during our zoom meetings as the conversations kept on getting deeper and more interesting, time management was one of the biggest challenges.

Conclusion:

It's time the nation stands together to fight child rape, to protect the children in this country. let us build a South Africa that is safe for our children. If you see a child that is being molested, do not remain silent, report the matter. If you suspect child abuse or a case of child rape, report it, refuse to be an accomplice. Refuse to tolerate nonsense, Let us stand against men and women who sexually abuse our children.