... were victimised prior to the passing of the new Act.6 The Sexual Offences Act7 defines a child as an individual under the age of 18 years but in relation to consensual acts8, as an individual who is at least 12 years old but under the age of 16 years. A child's consent is important in relation to all the decisions she makes and in South Africa the age of consent of the girl child is 16years as compared to that of a boy which is 19 years.9 According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child10 and supporting sections in The Constitution of the Republic Of South Africa, 199611 a child has her rights to privacy, thought, conscience, freedom of expression and her rights should be of paramount importance with the aim of protecting her from abuse. It is of paramount importance that the child should be allowed ...

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