This is according to the director of Child Welfare Bloemfontein & Childline Free State’s Marietha Johnson. Johnson says there currently is limited resources to take care of children with disabilities and more needs to be done to ensure that all children are taken care of. 

She says it is important to ensure that during this Child Protection Week challenges faced by children are brought to the forefront. She urges communities and the government to all come together to ensure that children are protected and provided for. 

“The service rendering part for the disabled is very limited. There really is a lack of resources for children to be cared for when they are disabled, like special schools. There is limited special schools and it is very expensive to look after children with disabilities.” 

 Johnson says everyone should take the responsibility to ensure that children are safe and that they are afforded the necessary help. “Everybody must take hands and look after children in their communities and stand up against any wrong-doing aimed at children.” 

She says emotional abuse against children remains the least reported form of abuse, while there is an increase in the number of cases reported on physical abuse and neglect. 

Johnson says communities need to adopt the spirit of Ubuntu and ensure that they offer support to one another.

“Parents should also be more involved in the lives of their children, but they should also extend their hand to help other children in their communities. When they notice any signs of abuse they should act and report these cases. They should not turn a blind eye simply because it may not be their biological children experiencing this.”

Johnson urges parents and caregivers to look out for signs of abuse. She says one of the prominent signs of abuse is when there is a sudden change in a child’s characteristics.

The theme for the 2017 Child Protection Week is "Let us all protect children to move South Africa forward".

OFM News/Katleho Morapela