On Wednesday, October 30, Carel Schoeman, a 35-year-old attorney from Heidelberg, appeared before the Gauteng High Court. He is accused of b*ying a 13-year-old girl, regularly r*ping her, and treating her as a s*xual slave.
He denied the h0rrible claims leveled against him.
According to the charge sheet, the girl’s mother, 38, whose identity is being withheld to protect the victim, allegedly sold the child to Schoeman.
She is charged with 72 counts, including kidnapping, s*xual exploitation of children, human trafficking, r*pe, child ab*se, and creating p0rn*graphic content.
She also allegedly advertised the 13-year-old on p*rn0graphic websites, allowing Schoeman access to the young girl.
“An amount of R160,000 was agreed upon. Accused two made a down payment of R24,000 to accused one and handed her a motor vehicle,” read the charge sheet.
Schoeman faces 26 charges, including four counts of r*pe, child exploitation, human tr*ffick!ng, abduction, child abuse, and using trafficked victims’ services.
Sabrina Walter, founder of Women For Change, described the charges against Schoeman as troubling and a reminder of the severity of child trafficking and abuse in the country.
“That an attorney is accused of purchasing a young girl and subjecting her to s*xual sl*very is h0rrific on its own – but knowing that her mother allegedly played a role in these crimes against her daughter makes this case even more tragic and unbearable,” she said.
Walter went on to remark that the involvement of a parent, who is responsible for a child’s protection and care, emphasizes the awful truth of how deeply ingrained gender-based violence (GBV), trafficking, and exploitation are in society.
She emphasized that GBV cases, particularly those involving minors, deserve a strong response, ensuring that those found guilty face the full consequences of their actions.
According to Together for Girls, a global alliance aiming to end violence against children and adolescents, three girls and two boys have been s*xually ab*sed every second over the last year.
“In the past 12 months, 82 million girls and 69 million boys have experienced some form of s*xual vi0lence,” said the organisation.
Together for Girls’ chief executive, Dr Daniela Ligiero, said s*xual ab*se against children is pervasive, widespread, and h0rrific, but there are known and proven ways for preventing it.
Ligiero added: “We also know that it also happens in the dark. One of the key reasons for its proliferation is the lack of global measurement. While some governments and organisations measure on a national or regional level, we have yet to see rigorous measures on a global scale.”
