Child Protection Week

South Africa observes National Child Protection Week from 2 - 9 June this year, under the theme: “Let us Protect All Children to Move...

Employers should check the National Child Protection Register before they hire people to work with children, which would help to prevent abuse by those...

Basizeni School learners discover the joys of playground equipment for the first time. On the roundabout are Retshepile Mbonani and Zinhle Ngcobo. (Image: Casual...

For this year's Child Protection Week, government is trying to get all South Africans involved in protecting children that will help move the country forward.

The UN reports that sexual exploitation accounts for 53% of trafficking victims; 37% are subjected to forced labour and slavery. South Africa has put in place several mechanisms to battle the crime, integrating the efforts of the police, justice and social departments, and civil society.

The government's Isibindi outreach programme, which deploys trained community-based child and youth care workers to provide support and protection to vulnerable children and families across South Africa, has helped nearly 90 000 children in its first year of operation.

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has urged the parents of children with disabilities to make use of government services available to assist them. The minister's call comes after reports emerged of a girl with disabilities being locked up in a shack in Alexandra, Johannesburg.

Child Protection Week, which started on Monday 28 May and was launched by President Jacob Zuma in the Northern Cape, is aimed at making all South Africans aware of their role in honouring children and the rights they should enjoy.
• Spotlight on SA's street children

A new national strategy, aimed at addressing the specific needs of South Africa's street children, will offer guidance on their protection and reintegration, but will also focus on effective early intervention.
• Youth Month focus on employment

Protecting the nation’s young and most vulnerable will take centre stage come May 31, as South Africa enters a seven-day show of solidarity with the cause of the country’s children.
• Non-violence campaign kicks off in SA