DURBAN - Over the last twenty-five years, children in KwaZulu-Natal have found a hiding place in Amanzimtoti’s Bobbi Bear.
Bobbi Bear is a rapid response organisation that helps with emergency service for children who fall victim to sexual violence.
The Daily News spoke to chief executive officer (CEO), Eureka Olivier, who has been with the organisation since its inception. She said their job was to make sure that children who come to them for assistance are comfortable enough to not feel as if they are relieving their ordeals.
“Our main aim is to assist on a emergency basis when a child has been raped. We take one of our bears we have to communities where we receive information about a child that has been raped, and let them retell the story in a comfortable tone, making sure the child does not relieve the trauma. In the process, we supervise the taking down of statements from police, take them for medical assessment and provide a shelter for as long as they need, especially in cases where the violence is exerted by close family members,” said Olivier.
Bobbi Bear was founded in 1996 and met with a mixed reception from the communities.
“Our founder Jackie Branfield attended a lot of meetings in churches and communities where children were being raped, yet, they had no one standing in place to speak on their behalf and at the time there was also the added risk of these children being infected with HIV. Eventually, they would fall through the cracks and not get justice. So, she saw the need for them to have someone take care of them even after they are abused.
“At first, our work was not well received in communities. It was really difficult for the first ten years as some of the abusers were heading homes, so going into a community meant we were essentially taking a bread-winner away from a family. But through hard and traceable work, we have managed to gain the trust of the children and subsequently of the communities in KwaZulu-Natal,” said Olivier.
Bobbi Bear works with at least 5 000 children who are struggling in many facets of their lives such as sexual violence and mental illness.
“Although, our funding is limited, we do help 5 000 to 8 000 children in South Africa who are struggling with different challenges; like suicidal thoughts, teenage pregnancy and bullying. And these cases are there because we have also managed to reach out to others who are all over the country.
“But we cannot do that physically just on the phone through counselling, as well as guiding through the processes in rape cases,” said Olivier.
Olivier said in their experience as an organisation, there is a pattern of cases of sexual violence as a direct result of domestic violence.
“There is a link between the domestic violence and sexual violence that has been perpetrated on these children we take in. Then there is the added frustration of unemployment, more so, since the start of Covid-19 as more and more people are jobless. Of course, that does not mean the children should be abused,” said Olivier.
Olivier said the festive season was one of the worst times, where cases rapidly rise.
“The holidays are incredibly hard, as many parents concentrate on having a time of their lives forgetting and neglecting their children. So, we face an uptake, which then means we have to work full-time for the children to be protected,” said Olivier.
The organisation is in need of funding from any possible sponsor, as it does not have any type of government support.
“The July unrest and Covid-19 dealt a major impact on our ability to help. Our plea to the rest of South Africa is for us to get any type of funding from any person, company or government department. We are not asking for any luxuries; just enough to get by when we need to book the children for medical check-ups and house them in a shelter and provide food. And the donations do not have to come monetarily but can be in-kind,” said Olivier.
Anyone who is willing to assist may call 072 443 2525.
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DAILY NEWS