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By IOL Reporter 
1 hour ago
Cape Town – With the focus on 16 Days of Activism for Non-Violence Against Women and Children, the Red Cross Children’s Hospital War Memorial is concerned about too many non-accidental injury cases passing through its doors.
According to Dr. Anita Parbhoo, the hospital’s medical director, a large number of cases of child abuse are related to gender-based violence and intimate partner violence within their homes.
The hospital had 66 confirmed and 146 suspected cases of non-accidental injuries from September 2019 to September 2020, of which one of the most tragic was that of a 5-year-old girl who had multiple bruises on her body and tested positive for crystals. . methamphetamine after being found alone in her home when a neighbor had heard her cry.
The mother, who was allegedly physically abused if she could not find money to buy drugs, has since been arrested, but the father has fled.
After forcing a window open, the neighbor found her lying on the floor, her speech was not clear and she seemed sleepy. At the hospital, ‘S’ was screened, screened and checked, ”the Western Cape Health Department said in a statement.
” The toxicology test revealed that she was positive for methamphetamine, she had multiple bruises of different ages all over her body, she was underweight for her age, her teeth were rotten, her vaccinations were not up to date, and she had three broken bones. ribs and a new skull fracture.
” Throughout several interviews with a social worker, the patient revealed her parents’ history of drug use at home and how her father physically abused her by hitting her with his hand, pushing her against the wall and hitting her. chest.
She revealed that her mother hit her head against the wall when she did not want to beg for food in the area where they lived. She also described how she was locked in the house after her parents smoked drugs or left her alone when they went out with friends.
While the mother was arrested, the whereabouts of the father are unknown. The parents had a history of domestic violence in which the father physically abused the mother if she could not find money to buy drugs.
” The maternal grandparents died when the mother was young and she was placed in foster care because no family could care for her. While in foster care, at the age of 16, she was raped by an unknown man.
“’S’ was removed from her parents’ care and placed in a Child and Youth Care Center. He has made a full recovery and has received counseling.
” Stories like these are too common. Intimate partner violence can affect women and children from all walks of life.
“As a society, we must intensify our vigilance, we must all speak out and report the perpetrators of violence and abuse (who are often men) and break the cycle of abuse.”
* The name “S” has been withheld to protect your identity.
MESS
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