MOKOPANE – THE Mogalakwena municipality acting mayor, Staff Tsebe, joined members of the department of social development, members of Mahwelereng police services and kids from various Pre-schools in Mogalakwena last Wednesday as they embarked on the Child Protection Week, (CPW), celebrations with a 5 km walk to Mahwelereng stadium as a means of raising awareness about child abuse. As CPW kicks off in South Africa, from May 30 to June 3, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, (UNICEF), joins the call of the department of social development to make the creation of a safe and protective environment for all children a national priority. National Child Protection Week is commemorated in South Africa annually to raise awareness of the rights of children as articulated in the Children’s Act of 2005.
In his brief address Tsebe said, “Under the theme ‘Working together to protect our children’ it is a call to all South Africans to play a part in protecting and ensuring the well-being of children. He indicated that government will use the week to raise awareness of issues around the protection of children, especially children with disabilities.”
“It is imperative for parents and caregivers to be aware of the whereabouts of their children at all times. Open communication with your children is essential to ensure their safety. Information gathering, such as knowing the role players in your child’s life, can prevent abuse from occurring,”stated Tsebe.
Tsebe urged parents of children with disabilities to make use of the government services available to assist them and further urged the community to be more vigilant and to assist with the protection of the children.
“While Government reiterated its commitment to respecting, protecting and fulfilling child rights, CPW reminds us that protecting children is not the sole responsibility of formal child protection services, but it is everybody’s responsibility from family members, neighbors, communities, local leaders, teachers and health care professionals. We should remember Tata Madiba’s relentless work to put the child first is in line with the convention on the rights of the child which advocates for the best interest of the child to be the primary concern in making decisions that may affect them,” added Tsebe.
“We need to work together to create a protective environment for all children, an environment where everyone from teachers to government and civil society live up to their responsibilities to ensure that children are protected from abuse and exploitation.”
Tsebe said, “The children of the world are innocent, vulnerable and dependent. They are also curious, active and full of hope. Their time should be one of joy and peace, of playing, learning and growing. Their future should be shaped in harmony and cooperation .You, our children should be free to dream and free to be you. I trust we would all agree that there will never be anything that is more important than promoting the well-being and fulfilling the rights of children.”
He indicated that the extent of child protection violations is notoriously hard to measure, but evidence suggest that from their younger years through adolescence, many girls and boys in South Africa are routinely exposed to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.
In complementary closure Tsebe thanked the organisers of the annual event and annual sponsors for their support and contributions.
