Last Friday was supposed to be a day of relief and joy for the 37-year-old mother of a toddler who was raped by her partner a year ago after he was sentenced to two life terms.

Instead, it turned into a day of unimaginable horror. The woman’s mother and brother turned against her, allegedly beating her with a stick, and she landed up in hospital.

She had just received the news of her partner’s sentencing from the investigating officer and opted to share the news with her family in the hope that they would equally share in her sense of relief.

But as we reported in this newspaper, she was instead blamed for having gone ahead with the rape case against her partner, resulting in his conviction and sentencing.

According to police, the woman had previously received threats from family members who had told her to withdraw the case against the rapist father and discouraged her from testifying against him.

This was after the partner was accused of raping their then 11-month-old baby and confessed to the heinous crime during their consultation with a traditional healer, according to the National Prosecuting Authority.

Instead of being supported by her family, the woman, whose courage in pursuit of justice for her daughter we must commend, faced torment and terror from her own family. She said the family wanted her to drop the charges because the man took care of them.

Sadly, her experience is a familiar tale in many stories of rape in our communities where families undermine the rule of law by seeking to resolve such cases among themselves. Many such cases end up with no criminal recourse for the victims, subjecting them to lifelong trauma while the criminals who perpetrate them walk freely on the streets.

This behaviour perpetuates the rape culture, a crisis that is particularly affecting women and children. For the mother of the toddler it also exposes the horror of what happens to those who pursue the route of justice through the courts.

While her family members have been arrested and are facing charges in court for their despicable conduct, the courts must send a strong message and deal harshly with such cases.

The woman’s determination to get justice for her baby in the face of these threats and intimidation is praiseworthy. Her rapist partner deserves to rot in jail.