Johannesburg - An early photo of Christina* shows the infant with intelligent, piercing blue eyes in a shirt emblazoned dozens of times with the phrase: “I love Daddy”.
A more recent photo shows the tiny girl in her father’s arms, unable to focus those same blue eyes in one direction as she lamely suckles on a milk bottle.
Her father, Theuns*, though seen gently kissing her forehead in the same photo, is accused of having abused the little girl – with help from her mother – to the point where the infant has been left developmentally stunted.
Police reports indicate that Christina suffered severe physical trauma that has left her at the same mental level as another baby less than half her age.
Her parents are accused of trying to shake the life out of her, hanging her out of a window of their apartment, suffocating her with a pillow and almost drowning her in a bathtub of water. The alleged abuse resulted in broken legs, ribs and a fracture to her skull, leaving her with vision problems (septo-optic dysplasia) from which she may never recover.
Christina was born on July 9 last year, almost two months premature. It was a difficult birth for her mother, June*, who claimed the pregnancy was unplanned but that she and her boyfriend, Theuns, were going to make a go of it.
According to an affidavit submitted by June to the High Court in Pretoria in a failed bid to regain custody of the baby, Christina suffered from respiratory problems and was only discharged from intensive care 40 days after her birth.
June told the court that the first few months of her baby’s life were plagued by various illnesses, prompting numerous doctor’s visits to treat the sickly infant.
When one of the doctors noticed a bruise on Christina’s left eyelid, the couple claimed it was from trying to apply eye ointment to treat her perpetually swollen eye, just one of the many injuries the baby sustained.
In mid-September last year, a neighbour believed Christina’s inconsolable crying and malnourished appearance needed to be investigated. After offering to babysit for a short while, the neighbour took Christina to a doctor for a thorough examination.
While June insisted in her affidavit that this was tantamount to abduction, the examination and a telephonic complaint led to the first visit from social workers to determine if Christina was truly safe with her parents.
On September 18 last year, a team from the Christian Social Council of Germiston (CSCG) arrived at June’s home after recording claims that Theuns had been abusing Christina. While June insisted in her affidavit that she told the social workers the allegations were “ludicrous”, the social workers’ reports told a different story. According to a statement by the head of the CSCG, June had told the workers that Theuns “had abused the baby emotionally and physically. She further alleged that he abused her (June) as well”.
In the statement, June gave permission for the workers to take her baby to a place of safety.
It was only after the social workers requested a CT scan that the extent of Christina’s injuries became known.
After multiple appearances at the Children’s Court, where Christina was assigned her own legal representative, Charl Albasini of Boela van der Merwe Attorneys, Theuns apparently snapped during one of the proceedings.
According to a letter from a senior magistrate at the Children’s Court which was used by the State against June in her bid to regain custody, “the father of the baby was so aggressive that the SAPS had to assist in court”.
“The doctor (who examined Christina) confirmed that these injuries were not accidental. The baby must have suffered unbearable pain,” the magistrate wrote.
On October 4 last year, Theuns was arrested at home on charges of child abuse.
“I simply could not imagine my life without my child or (Theuns) whom I love so dearly,” wrote June in her affidavit about the arrest.
She attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills, but was found by a neighbour who immediately contacted emergency services.
When Theuns appeared in court on October 18 last year, the State altered its charges from child abuse to attempted murder and child neglect, with the father being released on bail under the condition that he have no contact with Christina.
In November last year, June made a high court application to remove Christina from the place of safety and have her returned to her care, claiming the social workers and lawyers involved had conspired against her and Theuns.
However, the judge dismissed the application, and a short while later, June was arrested on the same charges as Theuns. She too received bail. June is believed to have been the dominant aggressor against Christina, as the charges against the mother were strengthened in recent months.
June now faces charges of abuse and negligence for hanging Christina from a window and shaking her.
Theuns faces negligence charges for also allegedly shaking Christina.
During more recent proceedings at the Germiston Children’s Court in Ekurhuleni, Christina was removed from the organisation’s care, which had looked after her for most of her 16-month life, to live with her paternal grandparents.
Albasini, who represented Christina throughout the case, told The Star he insisted on checking on the grandparents personally before allowing Christina to be kept in their custody.
He said that when he visited their home, he noted they had gone to extreme lengths and expense to ensure Christina’s safety and comfort.
While The Star understands that Theuns now lives on the same property as his own parents, he does not live in the same building, and he is only allowed to visit with the infant once a week under total supervision.
Theuns and June are expected to go on trial on Monday, but regardless of what happens to them, Christina’s life has been irreparably impaired.
“Child abuse is everyone’s business”
Two organisations in Gauteng are responsible for dealing with sometimes thousands of cases of child abuse every month. The Teddy Bear Clinic in Joburg provides a safe haven for children who have been subject to physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Childline works with the SAPS to report these cases, often leading to the recovery of the child from his or her unhealthy environment.
Most of these children didn’t present with physical symptoms of abuse, said the clinical director for the Teddy Bear Clinic, Dr Shaheda Omar. With counsellors and psychologists, the clinic profiles young survivors to ensure that police have cases against the perpetrators. But while they deal with many cases of adult-on-child abuse, a shocking number of young perpetrators pass through the clinic’s halls. Omar said there were numerous factors that could transform a child into an abuser. Being exposed to violence, being led to believe that physical attacks could resolve conflicts, a lack of supervision, unmet emotional needs and exposure to substance abuse remained some of the key factors examined by her team when treating child perpetrators.
If these issues are not addressed, these children can end up as adult perpetrators, perpetuating the cycle of violence.
“They want a sense of power and control in their lives, and they find (unhealthy) ways of feeling in control,” said Omar.
She warned that there were numerous signs for parents or families who may not realise their child has been subjected to abuse.
An extroverted child could become withdrawn; a usually calm child could become aggressive; performance at school begins to drop. Sleep disorders and eating disorders become a coping method for a child to try to take control of some aspects of their lives. But in children as young as Baby Christina, it becomes exponentially more difficult to determine abuse. Very young children may start to regress, losing the ability to bottle feed, or toilet training is forgotten. “It’s a metaphor for the loss of control in their lives,” said Omar.
Meanwhile, director of Childline Gauteng, Lynne Cawood, said many cases of child abuse were simply falling through the cracks.
She said the number of cases had stabilised over the past decade, but society had to work to reduce the numbers, rather than be satisfied with static numbers.
She attributed much of the abuse to a history of violence in South Africa, and said society had to be careful in the messages it provided to children.
Cawood believed that only a collective effort from NGOs, the SAPS, and the departments of Health, Social Development, Education and Justice could actively push for a peaceful community. The public also have to assist in condemning child abuse, and educating their own children about remaining safe.
But both organisations say it remains a moral and legal obligation to report suspected child abuse, and that parents, friends and family of the child have to be willing to speak out.
“Child abuse is everyone’s business. We must protect our children,” Omar said.
If a child you know is being abused, contact the following groups:
* Childline SA Toll-free number: 0800 055 555 or Gauteng: 011 645 2000
* The Teddy Bear Clinic: 011 484 4554/4539/083 557 3720 ttbc.org.za
* Not their real names.
The Star