Plan of action to keep young victims of abuse safe
Different stakeholders have partnered to introduce a crisis safe house to temporarily house young abuse victims.
Just a few weeks into 2022, a plan of action is underway to protect and temporarily house Alberton’s young victims of abuse in a safe house to be based in Alberton.
This follows a call from many concerned Albertonians for the need for a children’s place of safety.
Through collaboration, an old unoccupied building will be used as a place of safety for 72 hours for abused children.
Under the umbrella of the NPO Unchain Our Children and Alberton Child Welfare, the place of safety will be made possible through partnership.
Other entities, which have also come on board to fight the scourge of abuse in children while keeping them safe, include AfriForum Alberton, SOG Security and Alberton CPF.
Ward 106 councillor Tim Denny said: “We have identified a place of safety to fill the gap here in Alberton. I called in members of the public and certain organisations who have since stepped up and come on board. This has been in my heart for years because I’ve been part of the Teddy Bear Foundation for 10 years.”
Protecting little ones
Denny said after being revamped, the house will be a place of safety in times of crisis for abused children while they wait to go to court.
“It will house six children at a time. Once they have finished in court, there are community members who have come forward to give them homes and act as foster parents for a short period until the case is finished.
“Those parents will have to be vetted by law, as they house children from newborn to 12 years old,” he said.
According to Denny, there are hundreds of cases of abuse within Alberton and social workers are overworked as the pandemic exponentially increased child abuse.
According to Zeenith Domingo, director of Alberton Child Welfare, the place of safety will cater to youngsters in the greater Alberton.
“We can take up to six children in a crisis, and they should have been removed urgently based on an emergency or if something happened to a parent.
“We will be working together with sources from where children would come from. This house was given for this purpose,” she said.
Linette Linvelt of Unchain our Children reiterated that they will avail their network and contacts over a broad spectrum to help the community.
“If there is a complaint, our entire operative group jumps into action. We are professionals and we work with the police but we give momentum to the case via our established relationships. We combat prostitution of minors, human trafficking and human rights violations,” she said.
