Chat group sex slurs traumatise pupils at PE schools

Social media chat groups which explicitly detail claims of sexual activity among Port Elizabeth pupils are traumatising children and angering parents and principals. The cyber-bullying “Jintoe List” is being shared on WhatsApp groups where the defamatory allegations of promiscuity using lurid, vulgar language as well as personal details about the pupils are being made. Several pupils have largely brushed off the claims, but others have been highly distressed to the point that there is concern about them becoming suicidal. “Jintoe” is a commonly used slang word for “whore”. “This is not a joke. These are our children’s lives and there is no regard for whether or not it is true,” one mother said after she saw her daughter’s name appear on the Bethelsdorp High School list. Affected parents have not been named to protect their children’s identity. “This list is disturbing me because of the type of child she is – she cracks easily and she’s the type who would commit suicide,” the mother said. “I want other parents to become aware of this because there are some kids who are not comfortable enough to speak to their parents about these things and rather suffer in silence and do something crazy. “If we can prevent that from happening, then we need to come together as parents and help our children out of this.” The mother of a 16-year-old girl said her daughter showed her the list on Friday last week. She went to the Bethelsdorp police station earlier this week but was unable to open a case as no suspects had yet been identified. Another parent who has a daughter at the same school said her child was hurt after being named on the list but had been coping. “We have an open-door policy in our house and I encourage her to speak to me about anything, but I am worried about the damage this list will do to other children who do not have a strong support system,” she said. “Our children in the northern areas are already under enough pressure and have a bad name for being gangsters or are seen to not amount to much. “But now with this type of thing going around, it just worsens the situation.” A pupil from Sanctor High School who was on the list said she was not as affected by it because she knew the claims were not true. “I was added to the group last week and then I saw my name on the list but the things they said were lies. I was shocked at first. “Other girls are taking it a lot harder because worse things are being said about them. People gossip about each other all the time, but now it is in such a public place and people’s names are attached, it gets people very upset.” In an attempt to stop the distribution of the lists, Bethelsdorp Community Policing Forum (CPF) members and lay counsellors have visited northern areas schools to speak to parents and teachers about the dangers of cyber-bullying. CPF deputy chairwoman Karen Kemp said: “When I read the list I felt so sick. I even got goose bumps because the problem is not what is being said about the children on the list, the problem lies with the kids who are writing these things because they are the ones who are broken. “We need to do something – we can’t just leave it to destroy children’s lives like this because it is going to result in utter chaos.” Bethelsdorp High School principal Leon Arendse said he was aware of two pupils at the school who had been mentioned on the list. “We are currently busy with exams so I’m hoping that we will be able to come up with concrete plans on how we’re going to deal with this,” he said. Arendse will gather with other principals and parents for a meeting on Monday at Sanctor High to decide on a way forward.

“The police will be there to guide us. [The Jintoe List] is very disturbing. It reminds me of when we had to deal with that ‘outoilet’ [gossip site],” Arendse said. Sanctor High principal Brian Potgieter said more than 40 teenage girls at his school had been affected by the list. “Since we heard about it we jumped into action and informed the pupils of the dos and don’ts of social media. “We have obviously also had meetings with the parents of those girls who have been victimised and have encouraged them to go to the police to open cases. “The girls are traumatised because they say the things that were said about them were explosively vulgar and not true,” Potgieter said. Westville Senior Secondary principal Adam January said: “Cyber-bullying is a big problem [and] we also have pupils who are affected. “We have to intervene [because] this is not right. It’s cruel,” he said. At a meeting held with parents on Thursday at Arcadia High, CPF co-ordinator Patricia Arnolds said she had heard of a case where a father had assaulted his daughter because of what had been alleged on the list. “We would like to appeal to all parents to get involved and make sure we get to the bottom of this,” she said. “Not everyone is handling it the same way and we need to step in and help those parents and children who can’t cope with it. “On Sunday when I heard the name of the list it stirred up something inside of me. I was then approached by parents whose daughters were suicidal over these lists because the things that are being said were not true. “These lists are affecting our children and if it is not stopped it will destroy our community.” Provincial education department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said while the department was unaware of the Jintoe List, it would launch an investigation. “This is despicable. We condemn such behaviour, but moreover we are going to launch an investigation because something needs to be done drastically. We can’t have this type of thing doing the rounds at our schools,” he said. The police had also been informed of some incidents at Woolhope Secondary, administrator Emmanuel Muller said. “There is not really much that can be done because [the perpetrators] are anonymous, but we thought to get the police involved anyway because maybe some of them can be traced. “We have invited children and parents to come forward so that the school can assist them if they want to lay criminal charges,” Muller said. Police spokesman Captain Johan Rheeder said they were aware of the lists doing the rounds but no criminal case could be opened as yet. “We have no suspects at this stage. We know about it and we are going around to schools but no arrests have been made yet. At this stage it is a complaint.” Life Mercantile Hospital psychologist Shaheda Moosajee said cyber-bullies often targeted “weaker” children. “In this instance it would be the weaker pupils in the classroom or schools, who struggle with confidence and self-esteem. “The danger is that if they are not able to stand up for themselves in a positive way, they can become clinically depressed. “We try to equip them with coping skills to build their confidence and self-worth.”