Question NW3629 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
25 November 2022 - NW3629
Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
With reference to the Quarter One SA Crime Statistics for the 2021-22 financial year, pertaining to crimes committed against children, what is the total number of (a) successful convictions, (b) cases that were dismissed and/or acquitted as a result of poor and/or incomplete investigations by the SA Police Service, (c) cases withdrawn by the victim and/or victim’s family, (d) cases awaiting trial, (e) cases awaiting sentencing and (f) cases still under investigation in each province for (i) rape, (ii) sexual assault, (iii) attempted sexual offence and (iv) kidnapping?
Reply:
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) prioritises all Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) matters and more especially where the victims are children. The Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit within the NPA is tasked with, inter alia, ensuring increased access to justice for victims of GBV as well as optimal management of these matters in a victim responsive manner, in line with the Strategic Plan of the NPA. This is done by providing pre-trial and court preparation services, often in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSO), at its sixty-one (61) Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) across the country. These one-stop centres provide a variety of essential psycho-social, medical and legal services thus creating a safe space for child victims to report offences against them and receive services that are empowering them to transform into survivors. Specialised training is also provided to prosecutors in dealing with child victims and their testimonies. Whilst prosecutors in court are prioritising these matters, data is not kept for offences committed against children specifically.
During the Quarter 1 of 2021/22 financial year (April to June 2021), the following was not recorded in respect of crimes against children:
- The total of successful convictions;
- The total number of dismissals or acquittals, nor the reason(s) for the acquittal;
- The information regarding cases withdrawn by the victim and/or victim’s family;
- The number of cases awaiting trial;
- The number of cases awaiting sentencing; and
- The NPA is also unable to supply information pertaining to cases still under investigation in each province for (i) murder, (ii) attempted murder, (iii) assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and (iv) common assault as it is not recorded by the NPA but the SAPS.
The number of cases reported by SAPS includes matters where the decision was taken to not prosecute where the offender is also a child and below the age of criminal capacity or whether the child victim was too traumatised to proceed or where there is insufficient evidence to proceed.