Eldorado Park child protection drive rescues 27 children from unsafe homes

The Eldorado Park Community Interventions Forum and various stakeholders removed 27 children from unsafe homes and environments during a child protection field intervention in Eldorado Park on August 15.

The forum removed children from families with parents battling substance abuse, and when child neglect was evident.

According to one organiser, Cheryl Pillay, the children were placed in statutory care through Joburg Child Welfare and the Department of Social Development (DSD).

The stakeholders included the CoJ Child Welfare, the Gauteng DSD, the SAPS, the National Prosecuting Authority, the CPF, the Academic Citizenship and Economic Development Centre, Masibanisane, the Eldorado Park Crisis Centre, the Gangs to Grace, the Come Back Mission, the Metro Kids, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, TDP Security, Tswelopele Tactical Risk Management and the National Neighbourhood Watch.

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During the intervention, the stakeholders formed five multidisciplinary teams, each comprising a statutory social worker, SAPS members, officers from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, private security personnel and community volunteers. They did door-to-door visits to verify child safety and provide immediate interventions in various extensions.

CoJ Speaker and founder of My Life Matters, So I Spoke Out, Clr Margaret Arnolds, said this intervention was not something that had just started. It has been ongoing since Child Protection Week and continues because many children desperately need care and protection.

Arnolds said the deaths of young children in recent weeks have highlighted how urgent this work is.

“We remove children not to break up families, but to restore them. Children are placed in safe care, while parents battling with substance abuse or neglect are referred to rehabilitation and support services. This is not the work of one or two individuals; it is a collective effort,” she said.

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She added that there were people arrested and drugs confiscated during the intervention.

“While parents must take responsibility, we must also address the supply of drugs that fuels so much devastation in families. Cutting the supply is critical if we want to reduce substance abuse and safeguard our next generation.

“For us, this work is about passion, restoration and ensuring that Eldorado Park again becomes a safe and liveable place for children.

“We have been doing this for over a decade, and will continue because our children deserve nothing less.”

During a visit to the Hillbrow Flats led by Liesel Valloo, this Soweto Urban reporter saw a burnt flat allegedly used as a drug den.

As you enter the building, situated on the second floor, you are met with a strong odour, dirt, rubble, burnt items and broken glass tubes used for smoking drugs. One room appeared to have been cleared and repurposed as a hangout.

Morgan Stanford, a committee member at the Hillbrow Flats, said the community is deeply concerned about the impact of drugs and substance abuse on families and children.

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Burnt and abandoned flats are constantly reopened and used as drug dens, making it difficult to secure the safety of residents, he explained.

“We have engaged with Human Settlements to permanently close these flats, but the process is slow and often delayed,” Stanford said.

He said the biggest challenge is that they frequently go after the users rather than the dealers who supply the drugs.

Corruption within some structures makes it difficult for communities, as they lose trust when arrests occur but no changes follow; cases are dismissed, and the same issues recur. He added that these operations should be regular, proactive and better co-ordinated.

“Welfare and social services should check that children are safe and grants are correctly used instead of waiting until lives are lost.

“At the moment, it feels like NGOs and community organisations are driving this work, with government stakeholders only responding when there is a crisis.

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“We need a system where communities know exactly who to call, and where the SAPS, social workers and other stakeholders quickly and consistently respond.

“Otherwise, the burden will continue to fall on ordinary residents who are already exhausted from fighting this battle daily.”

Pillay said since the programme began, 69 children had been removed from unsafe environments between August 1 and 15.