Child Protection Week campaign hosted in Bushbuckridge
The aim was to raise awareness on child trafficking. The centre’s kids were taught about their rights and where to report abuse.
The Bushbuckridge SAPS’s Social Crime Unit held an awareness campaign at the Ebenezer Home-based Care Centre in town during Child Protection Week (CPW). CPW started on May 29 and ended on June 5.
The police were joined by the Bushbuckridge Community Policing Forum and the youth desk for crime prevention, in conjunction with the Global Teaching Institute.
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According to the Bushbuckridge police spokesperson, Sergeant Merilyne Mmonwa, CPW included raising awareness about the serious threat of child trafficking. “Child trafficking involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to exploit children for labour, sexual purposes or other forms of exploitation. So we decided to take the campaign to the centre, because it caters to a lot of young people, and if we can create awareness from a young age, they can stay alert all the time,” she said.
Mmonwa said the centre’s kids were taught about their rights and were advised where to report violations or abuse. Symptoms of abuse were also highlighted.
The team that visited the centre also cooked for the children and played with them. Some local clothing outlets donated some clothes and groceries.
