Mrs South Africa finalist Marcelle Allison and Mr South Africa Armand du Plessis spoke to a group of pre-school pupils about Child Protection Week at the Cottage Montessori School at Featherbrooke Estate on 27 May.
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.
The talk was aimed at educating and creating awareness that children should be protected against violence, exploitation, and abuse.
“I feel that children are not always aware that there [are] places where they can go to, should they be in a position of abuse. Their default people are usually their parents. But what do you do when the abuse is coming from the parent?” Allison asked, and added that this is why it is very important that children are aware of their rights.
Du Plessis said, “I’ve got a background in law from the University of Pretoria and I did my dissertation on children’s rights. So this rings quite close to my heart. It’s amazing the difference something as small as a green ribbon can make.”
