101 RAPE CASES IN JULY, MAJOR INCREASE IN STIS

MBABANE – The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) has recorded 101 rape cases in the month of July.

Fifty five of the cases involve minors below the age of 18 years.  On average, 3.26 people were reported to have been raped daily, and the majority of the survivors are women.  According to the police, some of the survivors were raped on their way to and from work.  The police also indicated that some of the survivors reported having been raped after the suspects had broken into their rented houses. Regarding school-going children, the police detailed that they are normally targeted by the perpetrators early in the morning and when coming back from school.

The police said children who were not accompanied by adults were the main targets. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said police were concerned about the number of people getting raped in the country. Vilakati said most of the survivors were targeted by the culprits at the time they rushed to their destinations, such as workplaces, among others. She revealed that some of the accused persons committing such offences were minors.  She said they had ascertained that some of the minors, after being arrested, did not know that what they  did was a crime.

“In the month of July, we recorded 101 rape cases, and 55 of them are below the age of 18 years. We have seen that most women are the most survivors of rape, as reported. These statistics are alarming,” she said. She was then asked what precautionary measures people could put in place to not become survivors of rape, while heading to their places or while asleep in their houses. She pleaded with emaSwati to have burglar doors, and burglar bars on windows, to avoid unnecessary break-ins.

“Those staying in the same flat must refrain from over trusting other people. I am saying this because one of the survivors reported that she thought the culprit who abused her was someone she was residing with, as she said the incident took place early in the morning, while she was preparing for work. We encourage people to tighten up security within their premises, to guard against being abused by criminals,” she said. She further encouraged women to start engaging in some training to defend themselves in times of trouble. She stated that some women even bought pepper sprays for self-defence.

Discouraged

She also discouraged women from travelling alone at night, especially in awkward and dark areas. According to Vilakati, women who travel alone at night expose themselves to abuse. She, therefore, said it was important for them to always be in the company of someone whenever they travelled at night. Vilakati also highlighted the importance of neighbour-watch schemes, which she said helped when someone was under attack. “People staying in rented flats must have their own system on how to rescue one another under attack. Parents must also accompany their children to school as well as when coming back. As a parent, know of your child’s whereabouts,” she advised.

On the other hand, Vilakati highlighted child-headed families, broken family structures and anger issues, as some of the factors contributing to the sexual abuse cases. Vilakati said they would be embarking on a mission of educating people in various communities about this kind of abuse. However, last year’s statistics of the same period could not be obtained for comparison purposes.

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