By Mashamba Media
news@alexreporter.co.za
As the country observes the 25th anniversary of the 16 Days for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign (25 November to 10 December), the South African Police Service (SAPS) embarked on a series of untold stories of its men and women in blue who go beyond the call of duty to protect women, children and other vulnerable persons.
Today, we introduce the nation to Captain Melanie Benham (47), a forensic social worker attached to Vredenburg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit in the Western Cape.
Benham joined the Service 16 years ago as a forensic social worker and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She later went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Social Work (2018).
As a Social Worker practising Forensic Social Work, Benham follows a forensic investigative process in order to obtain uncontaminated information from a child victim in a role as independent fact finder with a neutral stance and investigates the existence of multiple hypotheses by using legally defensible techniques.
A recent career highlight for Benham includes the sentencing of a 49-year-old stepfather of Vredenburg to 135 years’ imprisonment by the Vredenburg Regional Court in October this year for multiple charges of sexual abuse; all the sentences will run concurrently.
The accused pleaded guilty on all the charges levelled against him that included rape, sexual grooming, sexual abuse as well as possession, manufacturing and distribution of child pornography.
He sexually abused his stepdaughter and three of her friends, aged between seven and 12, over a period of nine years.
She played an instrumental role in assessing these four victims after one of the victims’ grandmother reported the abuse to the police.
Another career highlight was when a 40-year-old convicted rapist of Darling was sentenced by the High Court in Cape Town to life imprisonment in 2012 for the rape of a 9-year-old girl.
The young victim was brutally raped and strangled before the rapist fled the scene in October 2010. The accused was under the impression that he had murdered the victim who miraculously crawled to the nearest road where she was discovered by other children.
The girl sustained multiple injuries which affected her speech, eye sight as well as her walk.
Benham was assigned to assess the victim and later testified in court on the victim’s ability to recall the incident and the impact thereof on her quality of life.
Besides dealing with brutally attacked children, Benham also assesses sexually abused child victims who are diagnosed with Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs); this occurs when a child is exposed to alcohol before birth.
This is a unique challenge for a forensic social worker who has to ensure the information obtained from these victims are factually accepted in court.
Benham traces victims within 20 policing areas along the West Coast in the Western Cape that include areas, amongst others; Vredenburg, Vredendal, Saldanha, Langebaan, Citrusdal and Darling.
“Moments away from my family and time spent on the road do not deter me from seeking justice for sexually abused children. Some of the victims I assess are brutally raped and left behind to die.
“It is my mission to ensure that I do everything in my power to ensure their stories are told and accepted in a court of law,” said Benham.
Benham is one of countless members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) who continue to break barriers in their quest to fulfil the mandate of the SAPS in protecting women, children and vulnerable persons – with pride!
