Child Protection Hotline to be launched in Kempton Park
“We hope to take hands with security companies, attorneys, social workers, police officers, schools, shopping centres, restaurants, anyone and everyone who deals directly or indirectly with children.”
In 2020, the SAPS released their annual crime statistics that affirmed that Kempton Park is the kidnapping capital of South Africa. This will come as no surprise since Kempton is home to Africa’s gateway: OR Tambo International Airport.
According to Danie van Loggerenberg, CEO of the charity Toys for Africa, crimes against children are not limited to Kempton. Being a father and having recognised the dangers children face daily in South Africa, he took it upon himself to launch hotlines to protect them. Over the past year, van Loggerenberg’s child protection hotlines have sprung up in neighbouring communities like Alberton, Boksburg and Palm Ridge.
“Planning for the Kempton Park Child Protection Hotline has been finalised, and very soon Kempton Park will also have its very own 24/7 dedicated number,” van Loggerenberg told Express.
The hotline will seek to serve and report any child abuse, child neglect, bullying, cyberbullying, sexual assault and trafficking of minors. This number, as all other Child Protection Hotlines, will be available via SMS, WhatsApp and phone calls.
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“We hope to take hands with security companies, attorneys, social workers, police officers, schools, shopping centres, restaurants, anyone and everyone who deals directly or indirectly with children.
“The success of the hotline will not be only dependent on us, but will be a community effort.” He said the existing systems intended to help children, in itself, seem broken.
“Places of safety are full, social workers with statutory powers tend to be unavailable from Friday afternoons from around 2pm until Monday mornings at 9am. To call this window period our busiest timeframe would be a gross understatement.”
Van Loggerenberg believes education will be the best start when abuse is the topic of discussion, in addition to neglect and bullying. For this widespread education, however, all role-players within Kempton Park are to play their part.
“With Covid restrictions in place, our school visits are not what they used to be. As such, we need our community newspapers to share the number, we need our schools to report the abuse they are aware of, we need our social workers to be available and we need our police officers to be informed and ready to serve. “We need parents to talk to their children and, most importantly, to listen to them. As parents, your experience is invaluable in educating your child about what to do and what not to do. “We would like parents whose children have been bullied to come forward and share their stories. “We need to ensure no more children commit suicide. We need to talk to parents about the online dangers that lurk on the internet. We need parents to be aware of what their children are doing online, what they are searching and who they are interacting with. “We need Kempton Park to not merely react to child abuse, neglect and bullying, but rather to stand up and say ‘not in this town.”
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