Counsellor’s ‘interference’ divides family

A social worker is accused of tearing a family apart due to the alleged questionable way she dealt with molestation allegations.

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Johannesburg - A woman has accused a social worker of tearing her family apart due to the alleged questionable and unorthodox way she dealt with her nephew’s molestation allegations.

Wanda* said her brother and sister-in-law’s divorce was because of how Paula Strydom of the Rapha Therapy & Training Institute in Pretoria had handled the boy’s claims, which were never proved.

She said that if Strydom had been professional, they would have known whether her nephew was molested and, if so, who the perpetrator was.

“The two families are no longer speaking to each other. My brother had to make a decision between believing his son, who he knew was lying, or his dad,” she said.

Wanda, who is a lawyer, said everything was fine until her brother and his wife had another baby, a girl, last year. Her five-year-old nephew Riaan* started throwing tantrums, becoming violent towards his sister and running the girl over with a bicycle.

The family sought help at Rapha last year.

During the second consultation, the boy allegedly told Strydom that his paternal grandfather, Wanda’s father, was “playing with me” when they were naked and that the grandmother had once walked in on them.

Wanda said that instead of referring the matter to the police and a psychologist, Strydom decided to become a social worker, psychologist and an investigating officer, calling the family in and questioning them about the allegations.

She allegedly said Riaan must be kept away from his grandfather.

Wanda said her father, a well-known and respected farmer at Reitz in the Free State, was devastated.

During the next consultation, Riaan allegedly said he had lied about the abuse. But the damage was done.

Riaan’s mother blamed her father-in-law for the abuse. The father-in law accused her of telling Riaan to make the accusations.

Wanda said the report that Strydom compiled afterwards and gave to the police didn’t have enough evidence to point to her father as the perpetrator.

When police questioned Riaan, he allegedly said he had lied. Wanda believes that someone could have molested Riaan but the boy was threatened not to say anything and that Strydom’s “interference” did not help the case.

“By questioning everyone, she (Strydom) contaminated evidence,” Wanda said. “She was first supposed to check if the child was telling the truth or just looking for attention,” she said.

Strydom, who specialises in forensic investigations into sexual abuse, said that when Riaan gave her the convincing information spontaneously during the consultation, she had no choice but to believe him.

However, the family didn’t take the news well, she said.

Strydom said everything she did was legally and ethically correct. She believes that many reasons could’ve made Riaan change his story about the allegations.

“The child was contaminated by his father as he didn’t support his allegations of abuse, and now he doesn’t trust anyone. Children will recant the disclosure because they’re scared of losing their parents, don’t get support from caregivers or are being threatened.”

Strydom said the family were angry about the boy’s revelations and were taking their frustrations out on her.

* Not their real names

botho.molosankwe@inl.co.za

The Star