Joburg — Friday marked the starting point of the international campaign against the abuse of women and children, 16 Days of Activism, from November 25 to December 10.
In South Africa, the situation is especially dire, as seen in the latest crime statistics, which revealed that 294 attempted murder dockets involving children were opened from July to September and were currently being investigated by the police.
According to Police Minister General Bheki Cele, between April and June, 243 children were murdered, and another 306 children under the age of 17 were killed between January and March.
Furthermore, between April and September this year, 1895 grievous bodily harm (GBH) cases involving children were reported.
The non-profit organisation Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) said the statistics were devastating but not surprising and offered more reason to demand concrete solutions during the upcoming campaign.
“But what’s clear given the recent stats is that the state of safety for children in this country gets worse every time, which naturally raises concerns about the effectiveness of government efforts to protect our children,” WMACA said in a statement on Friday.
The organisation said it had also seen a spike in child abuse cases post-Covid, which is arguably one of the ramifications of putting women and children under lockdown with their abusers.
WMACA advocacy manager Luke Lamprecht will be presenting evidence in another heartbreaking baby murder case on Wednesday at the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg.
“This kind of unification of the state, the press, civilians and organisations like ourselves is exactly the kind of activism needed to fight GBVF crimes during this time,” WMACA said.
The Star