On
Special Assignment this week:
Episode Title: Caught In The Act
Date: Tuesday, 16 September, 2008
Time: 21h30
Channel: SABC 3
Special Assignment investigates the abysmally low conviction rates for sex crimes against children.
The documentary is one of a two-part series examining whether recent amendments to the Sexual Offences Act have translated to progress on the ground.
Despite progressive new laws designed to protect child victims, only seven out of every 100 cases of sexual crimes against children result in jail time for perpetrators.
These are only the cases that make it to court. According to crime and rehabilitation organization NICRO, only one in 20 of all child rapes are reported.
Despite the good intentions of lawmakers who hope the new law will greater protect women and children from both sexual predators and the court system, there are still huge obstacles to getting the law enforced.
The documentaries will show how inefficient handling of investigations, unsupportive prosecutors, court backlogs and an intimidating court environment - all work against the victims they are supposed to protect.
Special Assignment speaks to those involved in the field of child protection, those tasked with reforming the court system, and the children themselves, and asks: “Does the law protect abused children in a country regarded globally as a sexual predator’s paradise?”
The programme is produced by Hazel Friedman.
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