Educate women on partners’ behavioural patterns - ANCWL
More emphasis needs to be placed on educating women on relationships to enable them to detect unbecoming behavioural patterns in their partners, the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) said on Sunday.
The league strongly condemned the gruesome beating of an innocent five-year-old girl that led to her death, by the mother’s “so-called lover”, ANCWL spokeswoman Toko Xasa said.
“It’s alleged that the beating was a severe punishments to the child for merely wetting herself,” she said.
According to police, the little girl was asleep on a couch made up for her as a bed in Boitumelong township at Bloemhof in North West on Wednesday when her mother’s boyfriend saw she had wet herself and the urine had run into the couch.
“He became frustrated and started hitting her with a belt,” Sergeant Kelebogile Moleko said.
He allegedly tied her to a support structure in the house, lashed her, untied her, and threw her to the floor. When the mother tried to intervene she too was assaulted.
Police and paramedics were called, but they were too late to save the little girl. She had been too severely injured and was declared dead on the scene.
The man, who is in police custody, is expected to appear in the Bloemhof Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
“As the ANCWL we strongly believe that more emphasis must be placed on educating women on relationships to enable them to also detect unbecoming behavioural patterns from their lovers before they can be fatal,” Xasa said.
“Mothers must also be sincere enough to seek assistance and find protection for their children whenever their safety and well-being is at risk. The killing is senseless and unfortunate for a child who needed love and protection from both parents. She did not deserve to die in such a manner. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased child.”
The ANCWL called on women and society in Bloemhof and the North West at large to stretch their hands and support the family of the dead child during this trying time.
The ANCWL 12th national conference had resolved that harsher sentences should be imposed on perpetrators of violence against women and children.
“The alleged killer should not be granted bail but should rather be sentenced heavily in order to send a stern message to other perpetrators of violence against children and women,” Xasa said.
ANA
(File photo)