Report abuse, missing people immediately – Government
The 24-hour wait policy no longer applies for reporting a missing person.
Authorities have urged the public to immediately report child abuse or missing people to the police.
The 24-hour wait policy no longer applies for reporting a missing person, according to the national Department of Police.
This comes in the wake of the much-publicised case of Katlego Joja, a 10-year-old autistic girl who was found dead in a nearby river earlier this month after she disappeared from her aunt’s home in Mamelodi West.
The family alleged they were told to wait 24 hours by their local police station and were turned away several times before police finally decided to search for the missing girl.
Since then, several officers at the police station have been suspended.
Cde Mayathula-Khoza: We have recently been told of the stories of Katlego Joja(10), Nonkululeko Xaba(9) and Manono Mhlanga(8) whose bodies were discovered after being reported missing.#ChildProtectionWeek
— Gauteng ANC #VoteANC (@GautengANC) May 28, 2018
The call also coincides with Child Protection Week, which is held this week (27 May to 2 June).
Mamelodi police officers suspended in Katlego Joja casehttps://t.co/9WPABlqkiD
— The Citizen News (@TheCitizen_News) May 22, 2018
ALSO READ:
https://www.citizen.co.za/rekord/170618/update-mams-police-officers-suspended-in-katlego-joja-case/
https://twitter.com/Mksello/status/999625612456316928
This week is held annually to raise awareness of children’s rights and “to mobilise all sectors of society to care for and protect children”.
As we mark #ChildProtectionWeek a nine-year-old girl was killed after the vehicle she was in, was hijacked in Himalaya Drive, in Shallcross outside Durban. The driver lost control and crashed but reports say the girl was shot. These criminals have no respect for life /property! pic.twitter.com/GkaXjU36iP
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) May 28, 2018
Communications minister Nomvula Mokonyane said last week parents must immediately report missing children to their nearest police station.
The Dept of Social Development launched Child Protection Week yesterday, 27 May 2018. The aim of the week is to mobilise communities to work together to protect our children. @GovernmentZA @SAPoliceService @OfficialSASSA #ChildProtection2018 #ChildProtectionWeek
— Social Development (@The_DSD) May 28, 2018
Mokonyane said missing children could be reported to Childline on 0800-055-555 or Crime Stop on 0800-10111 toll-free.
“We must work together to tackle all crimes against women and children,” she said.
This #ChildProtectionWeek, we're proud to say that we have a strict #ChildProtection Policy in place which guides our use of images containing children and the ways in which we obtain and explain consent, protect, store and ultimately destroy media. 👩🏾🏫👓🌍 pic.twitter.com/veddkorpND
— Orbis Africa (@orbisafrica) May 28, 2018
Mokonyane said women who were also abused should contact the so-called gender-based violence command centre.
“If you are a woman in distress or if you are aware of a woman in distress, the centre’s toll-free number is 0800-428-428.”
Mokonyane said everybody had a duty to report “those who hurt, exploit and abuse women and children so they can be arrested and convicted”.
She said the cabinet urged all citizens to work together to prevent violence against women and children, support survivors of abuse and bring perpetrators to justice.
“The most recent cases bring into sharp focus the level of violence that threatens the lives of our women and children,” Mokonyane said.
She said cabinet continued to strengthen law enforcement agencies to stop gender-based violence.
Mokonyane said the new interventions included the opening of 54 Thuthuzela care centres across the country to reduce the secondary victimisation of victims and the time to finalisation of sexual cases.
“The government has also set up 75 dedicated sexual offences courts to deal decisively with sexual violence against women,” Mokonyane said.
“Furthermore, police established 1 047 dedicated facilities for victims at police stations countrywide to accommodate and assist victims of gender-based violence.”
ALSO READ:
https://www.citizen.co.za/rekord/171430/child-protection-week-need-know/
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
