Minister Mchunu calls for comprehensive action to protect rape victims
Police Minister Senzo
Mchunu believes the fight against staggering cases of rape requires more than
just the application of the law.
He says protection for victims starts with getting the basics right in law enforcement. These include adequate training for police who are sometimes a survivor's first point of contact.
Mchunu has been commenting on a case in Umlazi, south of Durban, where a four-year-old victim was assaulted again, after the release of her alleged rapist from jail.
The minister says complex cases need the expertise of other departments like social development, adding that police officers often lack specialised training to handle sensitive cases.
"A magistrate can't be technical about rape, to the letter per se. It can rather say, without breaking the law, this what is needed. But to simply release a perpetrator could lead for us to experience what we have experienced."
READ: Five matric pupils raped, robbed in Eastern Cape
Mchunu was briefing the Portfolio Committee on Police on Wednesday.
He says there are still gaps in case management and preparation for court appearances for repeat offenders.
"The investigating officers don't easily detect that this person is there so that they mention it when bail applications take place in court. It is something that we have to clamp down on.
“These are these small gaps which we have identified," he said.Find us on social media
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