Issued by: The Ministry of Justice
Press statement by Minister of Justice, Mr Dullah Omar on recommendations of NPA Justice Sectoral Working Group, particularly with regard to child abuse.
There has been a great deal of concern about child abuse, and the Ministry has been accused of failing to respond to represen- tations made by the Child Abuse Action Group.
This is far from the case. The Child Abuse Action Group, with whom I met this morning, has been represented in the Justice Sectoral Working Committee which includes, as part of its brief, the question of child abuse. Although their representatives have not attended all meetings convened, they have at all times been invited to those meetings and have received full documentation and minutes. They are thus fully informed of the progress of the work thus far and have had every opportunity to make their voices heard.
I have therefore been at a loss to understand why the CAAG has, on a number of occasions, stated publicly that they have received no response from me. The fact is that they have received a great deal more than a response. They have been invited to participate in the process itself.
When I met with the CAAG this morning, we pointed out the need for a coherent plan as envisaged through the work of the Sectoral Group. Child abuse is a serious problem requiring proper and considered attention and cannot be dealt with an ad hoc way. We need to look at this problem holistically - both as a social phenomenon and as an issue requiring legal attention.
I also repeated to the CAAG that I have no control over the courts which are independent and that specific complaints or enquiries by organisations should be addressed to the Magistrates Commission.
Finally, I urged the CAAG to continue to participate in the Justice Sectoral Working Committee, to attend meetings and to ensure that they communicate internally so that their members are aware of progress. Aggressive statements to the press are unhelpful in a situation that is currently being addressed and which is, moreover, of serious concern to us all.
I should like to end by saying that we are appalled by the widespread and alarming incidence of this kind of crime, and consider child abuse to be an extremely serious offence. This is why it has been identified as a priority issue on the Justice Sectoral Working Committee's agenda.
Issued by the Minister of Justice. For more information, contact Susan de Villiers at 021-457506 or page 021-215420 code 27989