A civil society movement held a picket outside the Prinshof School for Partially Sighted and Blind in Pretoria Central yesterday, demanding justice for a 14-year-old pupil who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a male teacher.
The protest, organized by Not In My Name International, preceded a scheduled meeting between the organization’s leaders, the affected parents, and the school’s management.
The case came to light after the father of the alleged victim was called to the school to discuss his daughter’s recent academic performance and fainting spells. In a meeting with social workers, the child was brought in and confessed to her father that she had been sexually harassed by a teacher.
According to the father’s account, his daughter stated the assault occurred during a music class that had been relocated to a classroom without surveillance cameras. She alleged the teacher physically touched her, tried to kiss her, and put his hands on her private parts.
The father expressed shock and anger, stating he was hearing of the incident for the first time despite it allegedly happening last year. School social workers reportedly told him they believed he was already aware, as the school had previously spoken to the child’s mother. The father stated the mother was initially scared into silence after being told the matter was being handled internally by the school.
Following the protest, a meeting was convened with school management and officials from the district Department of Education. A national organizer for Not In My Name International provided an update, stating that while the outcome was not yet a complete success, progress had been made.
The organization reported that the school and education department have agreed to investigate the allegations. The accused teacher is currently reported to be in the hospital. Despite this, the group is demanding his arrest and for the school to take full accountability for the incident.
Key demands from the group’s memorandum include the immediate arrest of the perpetrator, continued psychological support for the child, and the implementation of formal sexual harassment policies by the Department of Education.
The school has been given 14 days to respond to the memorandum and report back on the progress of the investigation and the steps taken toward accountability. The civil society group has vowed to ensure the child’s well-being remains the priority throughout the process.
