05 Jul 2018

Leadership in Lerala / Maunatlala Constituency have advocated for the empowerment of the girl child.

Speaking in an interview with BOPA, Councillor for Maunatlala Ms Salome Lesole urged parents to teach their children to have a voice and instill a sense of assertiveness in the girl child.

“Teach them to say no even to their own parents,” she said.

She explained that children lacked the confidence to say no and report abuse and oppression immediately when it happens.

Hence, she said there was need for children to be groomed at an earlier age to stand firm and say ‘NO’, which she believes would go a long way in preparing them for the challenges they may face; where their innocence is lost and their rights are violated.

Ms Lesole said she had realised that the girl child was very vulnerable in the same society that was meant to protect her.

She said her office had had to intervene on issues where the girl child had been abused by a relative and the issue was swept under the carpet to protect the abuser.

This, she says, had had a negative impact on the community as defilement cases were not reported and the incidents rose at an alarming rate.

As a leader and a mother, Ms Lesole said that she felt compelled to put such issues in the forefront, and thus called on all mothers to be the shield of the nation and take a stand to put an end to such immoral behaviour.

For her part,Councillor for Mosweu and Mokokwana, Ms Abitseng Kganetso said the future of the girl child depended on the actions that society took today.

She said raising awareness and putting up banners against the abuse of the girl child was not enough, hence she called upon every individual to make it their responsibility to protect the girl child.

This, Ms Kganetso said, couldd only be achieved if society came to terms with the fact that indeed the abuse of the girl child did exist and understood the extent to which it destroyed the victim and tarnished the image of the nation as a whole.

She said in most instances, it was discovered at a later stage that the girl child had been abused, noting, however that the scar may never heal.

She said such cases could be avoided if parents taught their children to be bold at an earlier age and always make their intentions known.

Ms Kganetso encouraged parents to be their children’s best friends and give them room to be able to approach them with even sensitive issues that have all hitherto been considered taboo.”

Assistant Superintendent Mopedi Moipolai of Maunatlala Police Station confirmed that indeed there was concern about defilement cases, which were not reported in the area.

He said for those cases registered with their office, they always made it clear to the concerned parties that the case could and would not be withdrawn in the best interest of the child. ENDS