WC GRAPPLES WITH RISE IN CHILD RAPE

Calls for action grow as police investigate toddler and school rape cases

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

TWO horrific child rape cases have shaken the Western Cape, with a 21-year-old suspect due in court this morning for the alleged rape and severe assault of a 21-month-old girl. This while police are investigating the case of a seven-year-old girl who was allegedly raped at an Atlantis school.

The shocking cases come nearly a week after the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) rejected calls from activist group Women for Change (WFC) to have GBV and femicide declared a national disaster.

In response to the NDMC's decision, Premier Alan Winde's spokesperson, Regan Thaw said: "While I agree that levels of violent crime, including gender-based violence and femicide, are intolerably high, declaring a state of disaster will likely not be the most effective response to this scourge. This process would have to be approved nationally. Instead, we must intensify our whole-of-society approach to keep focusing on changing behaviours and protecting vulnerable residents such as women and children."

The decision comes as WFC's national shutdown is set for November 21. Police have since confirmed both cases of rape, one in Mitchells Plain and the other in Atlantis.