Police are investigating an alleged rape of a two-year-old. The incident happened at the Wesfleur Hospital in Atlantis on Wednesday afternoon.
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IOL reported the account of an eyewitness who said they heard a commotion coming from the bathroom and, on closer inspection, witnessed the alleged perpetrator running out of the bathroom, followed by the victim’s mother, who said, ‘she just assaulted the man out of anger because he raped her daughter.’
The hospital security staff apprehended the suspect while waiting for the police to arrive.
Community leader and founder of the Atlantis Women Movement for the Abuse/ House of Healing Shelter, Barbara Rass, expressed her disgrace at the incident and said the law must take its course to bring the suspect to book.
‘Children are the victims to the adults, whether it’s their brothers, fathers or anyone; it’s just unacceptable. It is our prerogative to protect the children and one another,’ she said.
Byron La Hoe, spokesperson for the Western Cape Wellness Department, confirmed that the incident was reported to them on Wednesday.
La Hoe stated that the alleged perpetrator was not an employee of the department.
La Hoe adds, ‘While an inquiry into the incident was registered with the South African Police Service (SAPS), the child was examined by a doctor at the hospital’s Thuthuzela Care Centre. The centre is a safe space where victims of rape and other forms of gender-based violence are provided with social, psychological, medical and legal services in a more victim-friendly environment.’
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said an investigation following the incident is underway and no arrests have been made.
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