Free State police spokesperson Capt. Lorraine Earle said the police were summoned on Sunday (9/8) to a murder scene in Phahameng, Bultfontein. They discovered the body of the girl in a shack.

Earle said she had visible injuries to her neck and was declared dead at the scene by paramedics. “Investigations were immediately conducted, and the suspect was traced to a nearby farm. He was subsequently arrested for murder and rape.”

Crimes against children

The case comes amid broader concerns about crimes against children in the Free State, with police warning young children continue to fall victim to sexual offences.

The head of the Free State family violence, child protection and sexual offence unit, Herna Els, said there have been several cases where children are being murdered after they have been sexually violated.

                                                                     The head of FCS, Herna Els. Photo supplied

“There are such incidents now and then. A little while ago, we had the Glenn cases also where two children were killed, and one of them was sexually violated as well.

“What is especially bad is that parents are actually the perpetrators of these offences, whether they are biological or stepparents. We are looking at children who are two, three and four years old who are being sexually violated.”

Smartphones and internet

Els said social media plays a major role in these cases. “We see children who have access to smartphones and the internet, while these social media pages are not monitored by their parents. Victims are then preyed upon by paedophiles who present themselves as people who are the same age as them.”

She identified several areas in and around Mangaung as areas of concern, including Bloemspruit, Phahameng, Kagisanong, Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu. One of the challenges investigators face when dealing with child sexual abuse cases is delayed reporting, with victims sometimes keeping quiet for days, weeks, months or even years.

Another issue is children, especially the young ones, find it difficult to tell forensic social workers about what happened. “They find it difficult to express a specific date and time, which we need to formulate charges,” said Els.

Children are easily influenced by people in their immediate surroundings, with some perpetrators threatening to kill them or their family if they report the abuse.

There are signs parents should look out for if they suspect a child has been sexually abused. These include children who continue to wet the bed despite having been toilet-trained.

That is a sign of trauma, and it can be picked up at school; some wear multiple layers of clothes to make it difficult for the perpetrator to get to their bodies.

Anyone who knows or suspects a child is being abused has a legal responsibility to report it to the relevant authorities. Failure to report suspected abuse could result in criminal prosecution, she warned.

OFM News/Siyakholwa Mbatyazwa dg

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