Before, Jason Hendricks had a carefree life – playing with his friends until it was time to go home. Now, he is an anxious little boy. It shows in the way that he nervously plays with his fingers on his lap. He had his innocence stolen from him by a monster who calls himself a man in Belhar in 2022. Jason was only 11 years old when his innocent view of the world was shattered, and sexual violence forced itself into his reality.
Criminality Stealing Childhood Freedoms
Jason was raped at the one place where children should feel protected and safe – a school. He was playing with his friends not far from his home when he was accosted by a man they saw the previous day. The man had threatened Jason the previous day, saying he was ‘going to get him’. Getting Jason was precisely what he did. He dragged Jason behind a bush inside a high school and raped him. He paid Jason a small amount of money to try to keep him quiet and left the boy alone and scared.
Jason ran home and bravely told his father what happened. They reported the incident immediately. Action Society believes that every person in every community must realise that they are responsible for every child they encounter. Where must the children in our communities go if they cannot play outside their house or at school? Where can they feel safe to be children? It is our responsibility to keep them safe.
Jason’s father is very worried about him: “He doesn’t want to go to school and prefers to be outside; he really needs help and assistance. Regarding the incident, I want the person responsible to remain in jail because tomorrow he can do it to another child,” he said. According to the family, Jason is still confused about what happened and is receiving counselling from a social worker.
Psychiatric hospital backlogs causing delays in justice
The man accused of raping Jason is currently at the Valkenberg Hospital awaiting psychiatric evaluation before the case can proceed. Since July 2023, the case has been postponed five times because of evaluation backlogs at Valkenberg. In September 2023, he had been 27th on the waiting list, moving up from the previous 36th place. On 22 November 2023, he was 10th on the list.
“We do not believe this person has a mental illness. He is a monster who planned to rape Jason – het told him so – and who did exactly what he set out to do. The situation is unacceptable. Little Jason was so brave to report the vicious attack on him. It’s been more than a year of living in fear for him, and it seems sure that he will have to endure another Christmas without justice. With the levels of violence in the province, capacity at these hospitals needs to be reviewed urgently. Action Society demands an investigation into the delays at psychiatric hospitals so that justice can proceed,” said Action Society’s Kaylynn Palm.
At the time of publishing this story, the accused rapist is number 10 on the waiting list for placement at the Valkenberg, and a new court date has been set for 13 December 2023.
Save our children
Action Society vows to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. Jason was an innocent child, and his rapist preyed upon him. He is a monster. Although a lot of damage has been done to Jason, he has proven that he is brave and strong in telling his family and Action Society what happened. Action Society will continue to fight for Jason and his family. We will demand that the court take responsibility to serve justice on monsters who prey on children. While we might not be able to give Jason back his innocence, we can help restore his dignity and help him grow into a man who can fight and tear down monsters like the one who tried to tear him down.
Take action today! Share Jason’s story. #SayHisName and consider funding our efforts to bring his rapist to justice. Click here: https://actionsociety.co.za/donate/
Jason* is a pseudonym used to protect the identity of the victim.
