WC Social Development Dept to ramp up initiatives against child abuse
Western Cape Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez said that her department offered a range of services to assist families and ensure the protection of children.
Western Cape Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez at the opening of a new Thuthuzela Care Centre in Stellenbosch on 16 April 2024. Picture: Facebook/MinisterFernandez
CAPE TOWN - As the country observes the start of Child Protection Month on 1 May, Western Cape Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez said that awareness-raising initiatives about child abuse and the preventive measures would be ramped up.
Fernandez said this period was also an opportunity to place a spotlight on the rights of children.
She said that between April and December 2023, the department recorded more than 2,600 cases of deliberate neglect, 2,800 cases of emotional and physical abuse, and 2,415 cases of sexual abuse.
Fernandez said that her department offered a range of services to assist families and ensure the protection of children.
"Too often adults forget that children have rights too. It is the responsibility of institutions like the Western Cape Department of Social Development and designated child protection organisations to step in when these rights are infringed upon."