Latest news with #ChildProtectionMonth
Daily Maverick
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Protecting our children: A call to honour our commitment to future generations
In May each year, South Africa pauses to reflect on one of its most urgent responsibilities: protecting its children. While many countries mark a day or a week focused on children's rights, South Africa is among the few with a dedicated Child Protection Month — a national effort that signals deep political and moral commitment. That commitment is rooted in the legacy of former president Nelson Mandela, whose words continue to echo: 'There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.' The 16th of June 2025, commemorated as Youth Day in this country, and the Day of the African Child continentally, will mark 30 years since South Africa ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Adopted in 1989, the convention is the most ratified human rights treaty in the world and was the first international human rights treaty ratified by South Africa under its new democratic government. And yet, despite this legacy, thousands of children in South Africa continue to face violence, exploitation and neglect. Child Protection Month is not simply a calendar event — it is a national moment to ask whether we are living up to the promise made to the children of this country. The numbers tell a grim story According to the Child Series Volume III Reported Crime Against Children by Statistics South Africa, that promise remains unfulfilled, with rape, assault and child abuse routinely high in the list of crimes reported against children. In the 2022/23 period alone, 64,533 children were victims of crime in South Africa, and each day three children are killed, 28 children are violently attacked, and 58 children are sexually violated. While the president has rightfully declared gender-based violence a pandemic, it is worth noting that child victims account for nearly 40% of the more than 21,000 sexual offences reported in South Africa in 2022/23. This is a staggering proportion, considering that children make up just over a third of the population. Given the high levels of violence against children in South Africa, it is unsurprising that this same violence resurfaces a generation later as the legacy of trauma perpetuates more harm. Both global and national data tell us that girls exposed to violence are more likely to be victims of inter-personal violence, and similarly, boys exposed to violence are more likely to become perpetuators of violence. Child Protection Week is an opportunity to amplify calls for this cycle of violence to stop. Government has responded but systemic barriers persist In recent months the government, led by the departments of Social Development and Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, has escalated its response by establishing a dedicated gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) Priority Committee within the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints). Through a 90-day acceleration programme to address GBVF, national departments have committed to fast-track the implementation of prevention and response services across all nine provinces. The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) views this as a critical step in the right direction. But as the statistics show, these strong commitments need to translate into sustained, systemic change that lasts well beyond the allotted 90 days. Knowing how much is actually spent on preventing and responding to violence against children is a persistent issue, as budgeting for child protection is scattered across departments and seldom tracked. Moreover, at district and municipal levels — where services are closest to families — violence prevention is still not prioritised in integrated development plans. On the ground, many social workers are overstretched and tasked with statutory child removal cases, with little capacity for preventive or restorative interventions. Crucially, children themselves remain excluded from decision-making processes that directly affect their safety and dignity. From crisis to commitment To achieve the promise of safety and care for every child, Unicef proposes three urgent policy actions: Establish a dedicated public budget line for violence prevention across national and provincial departments, with regular public reporting on expenditure specific to children. Mandate the integration of child protection as a priority — including violence prevention — into district and municipal integrated development plans, with performance targets and ringfenced funding. Institutionalise child participation in policy development, programme design, and monitoring — in particular within the National Strategic Plan for GBVF — to ensure that children's realities and voices shape the systems meant to protect them. We know that violence against children is both preventable and necessary for the fostering of a healthy, happy society. Effective prevention requires moving beyond short-term responses to a focus on innovation, stronger coordination and meaningful systemic change. If South Africa is to fully honour its commitment to children — as enshrined in its globally admired Constitution and in the vision of a post-apartheid, democratic society — then we must go beyond the talk. Child Protection Month must leave a tangible legacy – a shift from crisis response to systemic prevention, lives safeguarded, futures restored and children truly heard. DM
eNCA
09-06-2025
- eNCA
The search for Bloemfontein teenage boy continues
eNCA BLOEMFONTEIN - A 42-year-old police officer suspect in the abduction and kidnapping of 19-year-old Kamogelo Baukudi, has had his case postponed to Friday. Baukudi was kidnapped by two males impersonating police officers. This case comes as the country marks Child Protection Month and as the scourge of missing children continues unabated.
eNCA
06-06-2025
- eNCA
Manhunt after Gr 11 pupil kidnapped in Bloemfontein
BLOEMFONTEIN - A manhunt is underway after a Grade 11 pupil was kidnapped, allegedly by fake cops in Bloemfontein on Thursday. Kamogelo Baukudi was on his way home with his guardian when they were stopped along Vereeniging Drive. It comes as the country marks Child Protection Month and as the scourge of missing children continues unabated.
eNCA
06-06-2025
- eNCA
Gauteng family pleads for safe return of daughter
HEIDELBERG - A Heidelberg family in Gauteng is pleading for the safe return of their daughter. Omphile Sebiloane was kidnapped from her home in Ratanda in Heidelberg on Thursday. The 8-year-old was last seen wearing pink track pants, a maroon top and a black jacket. The family is urging anyone with information to contact the police. It comes as the country marks Child Protection Month and as the scourge of missing children continues unabated.
The Citizen
06-06-2025
- The Citizen
Gauteng family pleads for safe return of their little child
Omphile Sebiloane, a Grade 2C pupil from Shalimar Ridge Primary School was allegedly kidnapped from her home. As the country marked Child Protection Month in May, another child has gone missing in a scourge that is plaguing South Africa. A family in Gauteng is pleading for the safe return of their 8-year-old daughter. Missing Omphile Sebiloane, a Grade 2C pupil from Shalimar Ridge Primary School, was allegedly kidnapped from her home in Ratanda, Heidelberg, this week. According to the family, Omphile was last seen wearing a pink tracksuit, a maroon top and a black jacket with pyjamas underneath. If you have ANY information on her whereabouts, please contact the nearest police station immediately or call Evelyn Ntoka 060 819 7345 And Anna Sebiloane 073 852 5188 ALSO READ: Police rope in specialised team to probe murder of 14-year-old Lukhona Fose Murder Omphile's alleged kidnapping comes after the brutal murder of teenager Lukhona Fose. The 14-year-old Fose, a Grade 8 pupil at Ikusasalethu Secondary School in Braamfischerville, was found dead with her body mutilated in an empty field on Sunday, 1 June 2025. Fose was last seen after leaving home with friends. A passerby discovered Fose's mutilated body under a shrub in Durban Deep and immediately notified police. The grim discovery came after an intense search by family members, community members, and law enforcement officials following her disappearance on Sunday afternoon. Investigation Deputy Police Minister Dr Polly Boshielo this week says a specialised team has been assigned to lead investigations into the murder of Fose. The minister said the police's occult unit has been roped in to investigate the matter. 'There are two possibilities: It could be that Lukhona was targeted for her sexuality, making it a hate crime, or her body parts were mutilated for muthi purposes. 'Our investigations are ongoing, and maximum resources have been roped in to find those who are behind the killing of this young woman.' Boshielo raised concerns about the attacks and murders of women and children, saying that 'it cannot be business as usual'. Mother and Sangoma Meanwhile, a mother who allegedly sold her two-year-old son to a sangoma for R75,000 will remain behind bars. Keneilwe Shalaba appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates Court on Monday, alongside Sebokoana Khoanyana, the man who allegedly bought her child. The boy's body was discovered in a shallow grave last week. Shalaba reported that her child had been kidnapped in November last year. She was arrested three days later after confessing to selling her son to a sangoma, claiming she was not happy with the child's gender. NOW READ: WATCH: How Olorato Mongale murder suspect 'confessed' [VIDEO]
