Child Protection Register inquiries encouraging
The number of inquiries by employers and individuals to establish whether the names of job applicants are included on the Child Protection Register (CPR) in order to prevent such persons from working or having access to children, shows that South Africans are prioritising child protection.
During the 2014/15 financial year the Department of Social Development received 63 664 inquiries into Part B of the Register, up from 41 129 in the previous financial year. Part B of the Register keeps a record of persons who are unsuitable to work with children and to use the information in the register in order to protect children in general against abuse from unsuitable persons.
“We are pleased that more South Africans and organisations that work with children have become aware of the CPR and are using it to screen job applicants. Government cannot work on its own and requires all South Africans to partner with it to address and end child abuse, neglect and exploitation. We are therefore encouraged that inquiries against the Register are rising,” said Minister for Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini.
Meanwhile, the Departments of Social Development and Justice and Constitutional Development are in the process of investigating the feasibility of merging the CPR and the National Register for Sex Offenders as a solution in respect of the duplication between the two registers.
These two registers currently operate independently from each other by providing information to persons who are obligated in terms of the respective pieces of legislation to establish whether the particulars of certain persons have been included in the registers or not. This results in one applicant having to submit separate applications to the two registers.
31 May to 7 June 2015 is Child Protection Week (CPW). The campaign was initiated in 1997 in order to raise awareness and mobilise all sectors and communities towards the perspective of a holistic development and the care and protection of children.
The Government believes that protecting children and creating a safe and secure environment is everybody’s responsibility, and the idea is captured in the campaign theme, “Working Together to Protect Children.”
“Government urges everyone to wear the Green Ribbon during Child Protection Week to show support for the promotion of rights, care and protection of children. We urge NGOs, faith-based organisations, traditional leadership, the media, organised labour and civil society to work with Government to prevent child abuse, neglect and exploitation,” concluded Minister Dlamini.
Media enquiries:
Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
