#ChildProtectionWeek: Boksburg Child Welfare urges communities to protect children against abuse
Government calls on all South Africans to support Child Protection Week by ensuring that the most vulnerable in our society do not suffer abuse.
In the light of Child Protection Week that is observed between May 30 and June 6, director of the Boksburg Child Welfare, Vanessa Naidoo Pillay, shared a message.
Child Protection Week is commemorated in the country annually to raise awareness of the rights of children as articulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and Children’s Act (Act No. 38 of 2005).
The campaign is led by the Department of Social Development in partnership with key government departments and civil society organisations rendering child protection services.
The director’s message
As we have embarked on Child Protection Week, we must understand that child protection is the responsibility of every person in the community. We all have a responsibility to ensure that the rights of children are adhered to and those who infringe upon their rights are brought to justice by the relevant authorities.
If you see a child at risk, stand up for that child, ensure that the child is protected and not left vulnerable.
Members of the community must take a stand against violence and abuse against children by reporting incidences and suspected perpetrators of abuse.
Most child victims of abuse are abused by someone they know.
The police minister reported that during April 2019 and March 2020, 22 070 children were sexually abused, 943 children were murdered, 10 000 children were victims of common assault and 7 050 cases of grievous bodily harm was reported.
These are reported cases and do not account for unreported cases.
We at Boksburg Child Welfare will continue to protect the rights of every child by enforcing the Children’s Act, the Constitution and other relevant legislation. Let us all practice our ubuntu philosophy in protecting and saving our future generation so that they can one day save us from pandemics, global warming, war, and famine.
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