Three complaints of abuse, another of sexual violence toward a one-year-old girl and another of poor health conditions were received by Randburg Sun in the last four months, involving early childhood development (ECD) centres around Randburg.
Parents alleged that employees at the respective nursery schools, preschools and kindergardens were responsible for the offences.
Randburg Sun is awaiting police findings before it will publish about these exact cases.
Gita Dennen, head of department for the Community Awareness and Prevention Programme and Training at Childline Gauteng, confirmed that children are victims of violence at early childhood development centres.
“Abuse is a reality at many créches and ECDs,” she said, and that abuse ranges from emotional and physical abuse to neglect and sexual violence.
She said that parents can ensure their children are safe at centres by acquiring references from current or past parents, teaching children about their bodies from an early age, and ensuring children know to speak out if anyone has touched their private parts, or hurt them.
Parents should also ask their children open questions about their school days, who their favourite or least favourite staff members are, and why.
Spokesperson for the Department of Social Development, Sello Mokoena, said that children must be protected from abuse, and parents must check that the centre their child is enrolled at, is registered with the department.
Mokoena added that if a child is injured or abused at a centre, the owner of the centre or an employee “must immediately report such injury or abuse to the provincial head of Social Development”, who will investigate.
Douglasdale police spokesperson Balan Muthan said that no complaints of abuse involving centres had been reported recently.
Randburg police spokesperson Johannes Maja said that the police’s Social Crime Prevention and Youth Desk often visit centres and speak to children about their safety and children’s rights, and this is why the Randburg police have never received a complaint of abuse involving a centre.
He asserted that parents can help protect their children by never sending anyone to fetch their children without first notifying the centre.
Child Protection Week runs from 27 May until 2 June, and this year’s theme is “working together to protect children”.
Details: Childline Gauteng general number 011 645 2000; Department of Social Development 012 312 7500;
Douglasdale police 011 699 1300; Randburg police 011 449 9000.
