Action Society is concerned after a fourth person since October 2020 has been arrested in South Africa in connection with child pornography.
According to police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie a 48-year-old farmer from Swellendam was arrested two weeks ago because he was in possession of footage that amounts to child pornography. The raid was carried out by the US embassy as a joint effort between members of the police unit for domestic violence, child protection and sexual offenses in Cape Town and the US Department of Homeland Security.
The suspect violated the Film and Publications Act and also visited a chat room where participants shared explicit sexual conversations and footage of minors. The Swellendam resident was released on R2,000 bail and will appear in court again on 13 May 2021.
“As a civil rights organization that works for the safety of children in South Africa, Action Society was shocked by his release on bail and worried about further contact with minors. We also demand a double life sentence if he is found guilty,” says Dr Rineé Pretorius, spokesperson for Action Society
According to Business Insider there was a sharp rise in child sex abuse posted and shared online in 2020. The number of complaints of child sex abuse reported increased by 31% during this period. Facebook from July to September 2020 alone had to remove over 13 million photos from its two platforms, Facebook and Instagram.
“How many children are exposed to sexual abuse and assault due to our dysfunctional system? That is why Action Society launched the ‘Know your neighbour’ campaign in 2020 and urged the government to release the National Register of Sex Offenders (NRSO),” Pretorius explained.
In September 2020 it also came to Action Society’s attention that this register has not been updated for years and was therefore of little use. The pressure group requested for the management of the NRSO to be privatised.
“How many children have been adopted by pedophiles over the last decade? Without a proper NRSO we are giving offenders a golden opportunity to transgress again. The current obsolete NSRO serves no purpose at all and our children are in danger,” says Pretorius.
Currently only employers in the public or private sector who work with children or the mentally handicapped (for example schools, crèches and hospitals) have access to the register to ensure that prospective employees are not offenders.
“We are becoming more and more aware that atrocities are happening right under our noses. The public must stand together in an effort to expose these sex monsters. For the sake of our children, we need to know who they are,” says Pretorius.
ISSUED BY: Action Society
DATE: 30 March 2021
FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Dr. Rineé Pretorius
Spokesperson: Action Society
Cell: 083 507 7782
OR
LiMari Louw
PR: Action Society
Cell: 076 019 3384
