The results of the long-awaited People’s Commission of Inquiry into Child Safety have been released in Cape Town.
The report comes in the wake of decades of child murders and abuse in the province.
It calls for more police deployment in affected communities and the increased safety of children in general.
The People’s Inquiry is the brain-child of various civil society organisations and residents concerned about increasing attacks on children.
Displaying post cards depicting their experiences in their communities and also their ideals, children conveyed the daily trauma of living in gang-infested neighbourhoods on the Cape Flats.
“The results are damning. No one has been spared, not only government but schools, places of worship and parents,” says trauma counselor, Valdi van Reenen Le Roux.
279 children were murdered in the 2017/18 financial year in the Western Cape, while more than 2 000 were killed countrywide.
Van Reenen Le Roux says the Inquiry is also calling for public-private partnerships to address the problem.
“This is not a coffee table book. We want it to generate dialogue with communities all over the Western Cape and develop the findings and recommendations into strategic plans to make a difference”
Meanwhile, the provincial government says a Children’s Commissioner will be appointed soon.
The first of its kind in South Africa, he or she will protect the interests of children on health, education, welfare and recreation services.
