Addressing neglect and abuse of children in South Africa

CHILD Protection Week has just been concluded, but year after year we are still stuck in the same momentum.

- DR SHEETAL BHOOLA

Recently a 3-year-old was left unattended for hours on end resulting in his death, and the girl child is no longer safe in South African schools.

Despite many adults being educated and aware of how to care for and nurture South Africa's children, they still opt to inflict harm upon them.

In some instances, the harm is caused by practices that can be classified as child neglect, malnutrition, and maltreatment, and in other instances, children are victims of sexual misconduct, verbal and physical violence as well as psychological abuse such as bullying.

The challenges that children face are dire and this is further exacerbated by socio-economic circumstances such as poverty and illiteracy amidst adults, especially in rural communities.

South Africans need to become fully aware of the impact of their behaviour on children but more importantly, there needs to be a mindset shift that supports the development of better parenting and caregiving.

Unfortunately, the origins of child-headed households and community-based caregiving and parenting approaches are deeply rooted within the Apartheid era, poverty, patriarchy, and the global health pandemics such as HIV and Covid.

The concept of the live-in-domestic worker and male blue-collar workers who joined the mining industry and agricultural industry kept these adults away from their children.

Often, these children were left to run households by themselves and 'hold the fort' till their parents returned from work on the weekends.