Cape Town - An anti-gender-based violence organisation has expressed concern about the handling of an incident of ‘sexual assault’ involving two Grade 4 pupils by the Western Cape Department of Education (WCED) and Sid G Rule Primary School in Grassy Park.
Last month, a Bay View mother supported by Walk In The Shoes Of Survivors (WITSOS) activists gathered outside the WCED offices to hand over a memorandum of demands.
The mother, whose identity has been withheld to protect her minor daughter, said the incident took place on April 25, when her daughter was leaving the bathroom.
The pupil was suspended for a week but was reported to have returned after the completion of the suspension without the mother’s knowledge.
The decision compelled the parents to remove their daughter from the school. The mother said the boy continued to intimidate her daughter.
Last week, the WCED responded to the memorandum of demands.
“This case was forwarded to the assigned social worker on May 5, with an urgent request to prioritise the case for a risk assessment of safety support needs as well as therapeutic support needs of the learner following an alleged incident of learner-on-learner sexual violation…
“In this case, the district’s social worker and psychologist collaboratively investigated the matter and made recommendations for the victim and the offender.”
The WCED said the school and the specialist officials of the district would fully support the victim.
“The alleged perpetrator will continue to receive counselling support. His behaviour will be monitored with the necessary support interventions should they be required.”
WITSOS founder Reverend June Dolley Major said: “Some parents of the school reached out to me and they are not happy with the way the school is dealing with it…”
Dolley Major said they would be applying for a permit to protest over the response to the incident.
“When they talk about sessions of counselling, there was one session which they had with the learner at the school and that was it.”