A video showing a Millerton High School student being attacked by eight other students has circulated widely and incited public anger. The footage shows students attacking another student with a hockey stick, causing the victim to be hospitalized.
Furthermore, the six learners who appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday faced eight counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and have been released on R2,000 bail each by the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court.
Speaking to VOC News, Head of Advocacy, Women and Men against Child Abuse, Luke Lamprecht, delved into the various approaches these learners can be dealt with.
“If we manage abuse the way it should be managed, by calling the incident assault with a weapon, and as a result, it must be reported under our Children’s Act, so we can mobilize services to the children where you report to get support,” explained Lamprecht.
“They would be dealt with through the Juvenile Justice Act, and they are then diverted away from the criminal justice system into a therapeutic service which will assist them to behave more appropriately,” added Lamprecht.
Listen to the full interview here.
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