THE KZN Department of Social Development (DSD) released its damning findings into the allegations of abuse at the Aryan Benevolent Home (ABH) Children’s Home, in Chatsworth, yesterday.
“It has been confirmed that more children have been physically abused than we initially thought. But, we are more concerned about children starving at the ABH Children’s Home,” said DSD MEC Mbali Shinga said during the media briefing.
The investigation found that the abuse included children being slapped on their bare backs with wet hands and towels, assaulted with belts, pool sticks and brooms.
“One child claimed that he witnessed his sibling being flung against a wall. The children were also subjected to emotional abuse, derogatory and judgemental comments relating to their backgrounds and circumstances,” said Shinga.
The investigation also found that children were forced into following predominantly Hinduism and not participating in the religious activities of their choice or background, she said. A few children were allowed to practise Christianity, she said.
It also found that the ABH had not followed the proper processes with regard to employing people at the children’s home.
On June 2, the POST reported that the children’s home had been rocked by abuse claims.
At the time, it had been alleged that the children had been assaulted with wet towels when they were naked, and with sticks as corporal punishment.
On July 2, Shinga conducted a site visit to the ABH where she ordered a full investigation into the allegations.
Ahead of the media briefing, Shinga released the department’s findings and recommendations to the ABH board of management.
“I made a promise and a commitment that the head of department for the KZN DSD, Nelisiwe Vilakazi, was going to do the investigation. She was able to get a team of 11 senior managers to conduct the investigation and compile the report,” said Shinga.
“We have presented the report to the board. It is a thick file with attachments of all the findings. As DSD, our commitment is to children's rights. That is why we are here at the ABH. We said to them (ABH), that whether they have funding from the government or not, children are our responsibility and we will still follow up on issues affecting children.
“Through our investigations and interactions with children and staff, it was confirmed that the children were abused physically. The physical abuse and corporal punishment were confirmed by the children themselves. There were a lot more children than we initially thought that had been assaulted. Some children confirmed that they viewed other children being beaten. There was also secondary abuse, where the children were reminded that they were at the home (ABH) because they did not have a home or anywhere to go to,” added Shinga.
“But, we are more concerned about children starving. We have pictures in the report of even the fridge where the food was stored and what the children were eating. We made recommendations in our report to the ABH, and they had been advised to work in line with the provisions of regulations that govern child and youth care centres. There was an indication that there was no adherence to the menu,” Shinga said.
She said the ABH had been warned to stick to the prescribed menus because it was obvious that the food they were eating was solely from donors, despite the DSD funding each child R4 000 per month.
“For instance, they would eat bread continuously or everyday,” she said.
In terms of the dietary requirements for children, an approved menu had to be used, said Shinga.
She said this menu includes a variety of the food that the children must be fed.
“If the children were not given food in line with the menu, and they are given just bread now and again, and not regular nutritious meals, it becomes a challenge. It does total up to malnutrition and abuse, because we are funding each child in these centres. So, we cannot allow a situation where children are not given a fair meal in terms of the menu. We fund this facility so that they can take care of the children,” she said.
Also highlighted in the findings was that the ABH was not following the proper processes with regard to employing people.
“According to the law, if you are working with children, you must be checked to ensure that there were no sexual offenses that had been committed before you were employed. There are such processes that were not taken into consideration when staff were employed at the ABH. Part of our recommendations is that they need to subject all officials to a security check and that they are not listed in the child protection register.”
Shinga said that children at the ABH were also not allowed to follow their own religions.
“Children there are accustomed to following one religion. There was no provision for them to participate in religious activities of their choice or background. The ABH board must go through reports. We indicated to them that we are the custodians of these children. So we made ourselves available to them, to assist them to come up with a turnaround strategy and address the findings of the report,” said Shinga.
“We will be monitoring the implementation of the plans that they come up with. Those responsible for the abuse were removed from the facility. We are still following up the matter with the SAPS in terms of the officials alleged to have assaulted the children. That matter is not yet finalised.
“We are also concerned about the push back, now that we provided the report. We are always hearing that the ABH is concerned about losing their big donors. But, we are more concerned about the wellbeing of the children here. This will be under our observation going forward. The children are still receiving counselling,” she added.
Logan Naidu, the director of Child Welfare Chatsworth (CWC), said after six weeks of waiting for the report, “ there has been no consequences for the board of management or the perpetrators of the abuse.”
“They have done nothing to protect those children, who were already vulnerable when they were admitted to the facility,” said Naidu.
He alleged that in August, after the investigations were completed by the DSD, he had received a phone call from a teacher at a local school about one of our children who had been placed at the ABH.
“The teacher notified us that the child, who was one of the children who initially reported being assaulted and abused by her caregivers at the ABH, was being intimidated and threatened to change her story about the abuse, allegedly by staff at the ABH. We have this on record. Our social workers were sent to the school to offer counselling to the girl,” he added.
Naidu said if there were no consequences for those who were the perpetrators of the abuse, he believed that intimidation tactics used by existing staff at the ABH would continue.