Let us crush child porn syndicates!

The Pretoria North Magistrates Court will no doubt be on the spotlight when eight Pretoria family members appear today to answer to charges of rape, sexually abuse and child pornography. I am sure that most of us who have heard about this story have been sickened to the core to learn that grandparents, uncles and aounts, some in their fifties and sixties can be involved in such horrific abuse of children aged between four and fifteen. As much as we prefer to imagine the TV sitcom-type of family as being the universal family model, the reality of the fact is that out there, there are millions of homes that are nothing but hell on earth.


I must say that the mother of one of these children has quite a nerve to say that none of her relatives is guilty of the crime that they have been accussed of. Upon reading this news item yesterday, I was absolutely astounded to learn that she has had the cheek to intimidate the people who are currently caring for the children at a place of safety. If the family members are innocent who then is guilty of abusing your child, "mummy?" As much as your tiny blob of a brain might not understand this; it is not exactly possible for a stranger to come into a home, force little children to perfom sordid acts while filming it and then leave a couple of copies in the house, all without being seen by a family member!


Anyone who is even half decent ought to condemn this act in the strongest of terms. The months of November and December have been crucial here in South Africa and the world at large because of many rights related campaigns such as the 16 Days of Activism Campaign for No Violence Against Women and Children, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, International Human Rights Day, Universal Children’s Day and World AIDS Day. Let us all up our role in exposing psychos such as this Pretoria North bunch, in creating awareness about all types of human rights abuse, praying for the victims and lending whatever hand we can to activist organisations. This is one war that just has to be won at all costs.