By Noor-Jehan Yoro Badat, Kashiefa Ajam and Sheree Russouw
Police have bust two men for allegedly running brothels in Soweto and luring girls as young as 10 to work as prostitutes. Soweto police spokesperson Constable Sefako Xaba told Talk Radio 702 that the investigation followed a complaint from the parents of an 11-year-old girl.
"The girl was not attending school. She told her friends that she had found a job and was working as a prostitute. She tried to get them to join her.
"The teachers became concerned and asked the girl's friends why she was absent from school. They said she was working as a prostitute."
Xaba said the teachers then confronted her aunt, who was unaware that the girl had stopped school.
It was alleged that at least 10 children aged between 10 and 14 years old were paid for sex.
The men, aged 24 and 28, were arrested in Emndeni and Dobsonville Gardens on Monday. Xaba said one of the men was from Venda and the other from KwaZulu Natal.
They have appeared in the Protea Magistrate's Court and have been charged with statutory rape. The case was postponed to Monday.
Xaba said police were still trying to establish how many other children were involved.
More arrests were expected, he said.
Ali Peirson, a clinical psychologist specialising in adolescents, said the "psychological long-term effects on these children are absolutely devastating".
"Children that are in need, neglected and in a difficult situation are targets for these kinds of abuse. They are vulnerable.
"These children will probably battle with trauma for the rest of their lives, they will be scarred permanently, and will never really be able to erase it. That is not to say that with counselling, support and a nurturing environment they will not become functional adults but this leaves a mark."
Joan van Niekerk, director of Childline SA, was horrified. "One hopes the police intervention to rescue these young girls will involve the right kind of counselling and support. One of the things that happens in these cases involving child prostitution is that the children are not given the right services and counselling. This is because all our services are under far too much pressure.
"After the horror, let's see what we can do for these children to ensure the best rehabilitation. What usually happens in all these cases relating to child prostitution, is that they eventually fall flat.
"Police investigations are not done promptly enough. These cases should be dealt with rapidly. If they drag on and on, the children become frightened and intimidated if they are not in a situation where they are given enough support, and then they retract their cases.
"It's not that they are retracting because they are bad children, but because they are intimidated.
"Children in these situations are often rewarded for the behaviour. Children don't understand the long-term implications of prostitution.
"Services and counselling are important. But the book should be thrown at these people .
"We've just had a situation in the North West where a principal of a school was found guilty of the rape of several children. He got 12 years, but you can be sure he won't serve 12 years and he'll soon be back in the community. That does not serve justice or the children.
"We need an investigation that is child-central. We need a rapid investigation, rapid prosecution and for these investigating experts to have specialised skills and for the children to have as much help as possible," said Van Niekerk.