Playing a part in protecting children
The CPW campaign was initiated in 1997 and has since become an annual campaign and a 365-day programme of action.
Predators have found the internet to be one of the tools to target unsuspecting children to lure them into compromising situations that lead to their abuse online.
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Child Protection Week (CPW) as a prevention strategy has become government’s programme of action to mobilise all sectors and communities towards embracing the holistic development, care, and protection of children.
The CPW campaign was initiated in 1997 and has since become an annual campaign and a 365-day programme of action.
“The South African government has, through the introduction of legislation such as the Films and Publications Amendment Act, ensured that those who commit crimes against children using the internet also face the full might of the law.
“One cannot deny that it has been a challenge in the past to prosecute such crimes and give appropriate punishment to offenders, as the pieces of legislation battle to keep up with the rapid change in the online space,” said FPB interim CEO, Dr Mashilo Boloka.
Understanding violence against children
According to the paper produced by Benvenuti and Mathews titled, ‘Violence against children in South Africa: Developing a prevention agenda’ different forms of violence are more prevalent at various stages of a child’s life.
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It is important to understand how violence impacts children’s psycho-social functioning at different developmental stages and across the course of life.
This life-course perspective also highlights how early experiences of violence may increase the risk of children becoming victims or perpetrators later in life, and how the cumulative effect of violence has negative outcomes for the child.
Much of this violence remains hidden within the home, as young children lack the capacity to report it and are dependent on their caregivers to provide nurturing and care.
Violence against children has major psycho-social and health consequences.
The impact of violence goes beyond the physical injuries and visible scars, and evidence has shown lasting emotional and social consequences.
Exploitation of children online
Online harassment is only the tip of the cyber iceberg among children that cuts to the heart of respect for individual human rights.
Most concerning are the images of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and sexual conduct, circulated by our youth on peer-to-peer networks and social media, without regard for the damage induced – both reputational and psychological.
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Sexual predators find an anonymous home on the internet, where it is easy to build a persona, very different from reality, that can be used to exploit others.
‘Stranger danger’ is a mantra that caregivers should be teaching their children in the real-, and virtual worlds.
For Child Protection Week and Youth Month the FPB has called on parents, caregivers and community activists to play their part by being be the moral compass that our children need to steer successfully through a digital world.
