Government calls for parents to prioritise the safety of children
Lindiwe Zulu has urged school pupils to adhere to Covid-19 health and safety measures as schools re-open.
As the nation marks child protection week, minister of social development Lindiwe Zulu has called on South African parents to prioritise the safety and protection of children.
She said this during a press briefing on Monday, alongside child ambassadors from across the country.
Zulu said as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the country it caused major disruptions in family life including the safety and well-being of children.
A hike in reported gender-based violence cases at a social development call centre during the lockdown led to Zulu to reiterate the call for children safety.
Zulu said many of the violent acts happened in front of the children and left many with trauma. She said her department would offer a psychological programme in assistance to affected children.
Zulu, said the government was looking into the issues affecting children from health, education and societal to try and find solutions to these.
She said fear mounted as pupils go back to school, she called for all stakeholders, government, parents and the children to take responsibility at flattening the curve.
Zulu said the government had the responsibility to ensure a healthy and secure school environment and education on safe behaviours but the school pupils also had the responsibility of adhering to these.
She said while the lockdown posed several challenges within the education sector, but education exclusion was the key issue.
“There are still too many children who are in poor areas, while we talk about online learning and they do not even know what we are talking about”
Regarding early childhood learning facilities, she said the government was still reviewing the regulations and dates to be set for the re-opening.
Zulu also called on society to continue providing food to those in food security distress.
“No one should go hungry, especially children”
Social Development Deputy Minister Hendrietta Ipeleng Bogopane said the International children’s day marked a day for children to have a voice.
She said called on South African communities society should go back to the sentiment of “it takes a village to raise a child”.
She said in the healthy raising of children communities needed to support each other.
“We need a family that takes into consideration of aunts, grandmothers. We talk about a family unit with a support system.”
“Covid-19 bought several challenges for children, they had to look after themselves. ”
Cyberbullying was also on the rise, she said the government needed to revisit policies to prohibit this in the future.
Different children from the Nelson Mandela Children’s parliament from across the country presented children’s challenges from their respective provinces:
Eastern Cape Simamkele Jack said children in the province faced many challenges from lack of study materials to poor school infrastructure including sanitation.
“Many schools in rural areas rely on pit toilets and water taps, a health hazard in this time of Covid-19. Our entire way of life has been uprooted.”
He appealed to the government to assist the province.
Free State child representative Tsholofelo Sehume said for many children home was not a safe place to be in and was filled with violence.
He said there was a lack of electricity, water and food- with the lockdown these issues intensified and made children more vulnerable to the unfavourable conditions.
Sehume called on masks manufactures to also produce a mask that will cater to children with asthma diseases.
Gauteng Thato Mhlungu said the government needed to protect children from societal traumatic violent experiences they go through.
“I urge the government to continue with their work to donate water. Some municipalities struggle with power making online learning impossible.”
She shared the pain that her parents lost income during the lockdown and called for the government to assist financially strained families and those who face drug-use issues.
Limpopo Freddy and Tshepang Mhladisa, raised issues of data resources to enable online education which the government encouraged during the lockdown.
Siviwe Mboyane, KZN said a hike in school vandalism would affect negatively the resumption of learning.
“Some schools don’t have water and yet learners are expected to wash their hands.”
Mpumalanga Buhle Mathebula called for the government to ramp its plans of implementing health and safety measures in schools for the re-opening to take place soon.
Mathebula said data accessibility was not the solution for online learning as some areas faced network connection.
Western Cape Ayaka Tono said many children’s rights have been violated with some children going to bed hungry during the lockdown due to many factors.
The department promised to follow-up on the issues raised by the pupils.
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