International Children’s Day: Child Protection Week calls on us to end child abuse
As we mark International Children’s Day and Child Protection Week, the Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) will continue to prioritise the fight against child abuse.
The department has allocated R694-million this year to tackle child abuse, neglect and abandonment, which is the largest share of our budget.
This funding allows us to provide 807 departmental social work professionals who specialize in child protection and other child services rendering services to the poorest communities.
The incidents of abuse and violence against children continue to shock society. In the 2017/18 year the department received the following number of reported cases;
|
Type of Abuse |
Number of cases reported in 2017/18 |
|
Sexual Abuse |
1934 |
|
Physical Abuse |
876 |
|
Emotional Abuse |
356 |
|
Abandonment |
38 |
|
Deliberate neglect |
1979 |
Violence against children should have no place in our society, and I condemn these incidents. However government cannot do it alone, parents continue to play the most important role in ensuring children are safe, and protected.
The theme for this year’s Child Protection Week is, “Child Protection is Everyone’s Responsibility”.
The department continues to call on parents and the public to report any cases of child abuse to a social worker at any our local and regional offices or by contacting the DSD hotline on 0800 220 250.
Media Enquiries:
Sihle Ngobese
Tel: 021 483 9217
Cell: 076 083 6543
E-mail: Sihle.Ngobese@westerncape.gov.za
