To protect a child is to give hope

Thabazimbi – The purpose of Child Protection Week, observed annually in South Africa from 31 May to 6 June, is to bring about change in children’s lives.
Child Protection Week commenced in 1997 to mobilise communities and raise awareness of the need to protect children.

The Constitution came into effect 24 years ago – 24 years of trying to protect our children. Yet, according to statistics, there is a horrific increase in child abuse, child neglect, rape, killing of children, exploitation, child trafficking, children growing up in unsafe environments, children being bullied, children who are failed by the system…
Section 28 of the South African Constitution states: The best interest of the child is paramount.

Every person and community have the responsibility to protect the rights of the child. Children have the right to protection, to be raised in a healthy, happy home, to be educated, to be fed and cared for and to live in a safe environment with walls, safe toilets, and safe playgrounds.This huge challenge can be addressed in different ways: prevention, early intervention, and statutory intervention.

SAVF is involved in prevention by means of awareness campaigns and poverty alleviation. During lockdown alone, SAVF delivered 44,000 food parcels to struggling families.
Early intervention: 
SAVF trains parents in the Botswadi parenting programme. They strengthen the role of the father in the child’s life through our Ubaba Unathi programme. Other programmes aimed at parenting are the SAVF Rebuilding Dreams programme for pregnant teenagers and teenage parents as well as the Active Parenting of teenagers’ programme. Their bullying and child protection programmes were established to enhance their effective early intervention actions.
Statutory intervention: 
Children are placed in alternative care, such as foster care and Child and Youth Care centres (CYCC), of which SAVF has four, plus two foster homes and one place of safety. Over the past year, SAVF touched the lives of 90,000 children and 500 of them live in the CYCCs.
Communities have a role to play. First, when they know about unjust conduct against children, they have to report it. Secondly, they can support organisations such as the SAVF by becoming volunteers or by contributing money, food, clothes, toys, sanitary products for girls, or anything else which could add to the well-being of the child.
“Prevention, paramountcy, partnership, protection and parental responsibility – these five P’s are the key principles in protecting our children. Children must come first, they are the future,” said SAVF Thabazimbi social worker Dalene Delport.

For more information contact the SAVF Thabazimbi office on 014 777 1093.