SAVF commemorates child protection week
Child Protection Week started in 1997 “to mobilise the community and to raise awareness of the need for protection of children.
The SAVF has planned a series of daily webinars on social media platforms Facebook and YouTube to commemorate child protection week.
According to SAVF, previously known as Suid-Afrikaanse Vrouefederasie up until the early 2000s, the purpose of child protection week was to bring about change in children’s lives and impact their daily existence.
Head of social services at SAVF and spokesperson Dr Blanché Verster said child protection week started in 1997, “to mobilise the community and to raise awareness of the need for protection of children”.
She said in combating the exposure of children, all stakeholders, NGOs, government departments, the community, traditional and political leaders were expected to co-operate in taking action against child abuse.
“Section 28 of the South African constitution states the best interest of the child is paramount. Every person and community has the responsibility to protect the rights of children.
“Children have the right to protection, to be raised in a healthy, happy home, to be educated, to be fed and cared for and to live in a safe environment.”
Verster said the constitution came into effect 24 years ago, yet according to statistics, there had been no decline in child abuse cases.
“Child protection week urges us all to take care of the safety and care of our children. This huge challenge can be addressed in different ways: prevention, early intervention and statutory intervention.”
“SAVF is involved in prevention by means of awareness campaigns and poverty alleviation. During lockdown alone, SAVF delivered 44 000 food parcels to struggling families,” said Verster.
“SAVF also trains parents in the Botswadi parenting programme as a form of early prevention. That strengthens the role of the father in the child’s life through our Ubaba Unathi programme.
“Other programmes aimed at parenting are the SAVF Rebuilding Dreams programme for pregnant teenagers and teenage parents, as well as the Active Parenting of teenagers programme.”
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Verster said their bullying and child protection programmes were established to enhance their effective early intervention actions.
“Statutory intervention entails children being placed in alternative care, such as foster care and Child and Youth Care centres, of which SAVF has four, plus two foster homes and one place of safety.”
“Over the last year, SAVF touched the lives of 90 000 children, 500 of them live in our CYCCs.”
She said while child protection week was one week of a year, a new campaign was launched, namely “365 days of child protection”, with a theme per month. For May, the theme was “child protection”, which built up to child protection week as the highlight.
As carriers of hope, SAVF launched an art competition during lockdown 2020, with the theme “hope”.
Verster said the webinars every other day of this week had something to offer. Those interested may visit SAVF Facebook page and YouTube.
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