By Mzukona Mantshontsho
Children require a great deal of assistance and guidance in everyday life, much more so than adults do. From the time they are born, children need help with almost everything they do, from basic tasks such as having a bath and getting dressed, to learning how to treat other people. This means that children are much more vulnerable than adults and therefore require protection from the many dangers that threaten their well-being.
A vast number of issues threatening the well-being of children today. Below is a list of just some of these issues:
• Lack of proper nutrition and shelter
• Lack of access to proper healthcare
• Neglect
• Violence
• Sexual abuse
• Child pornography
• Child trafficking
• Accidental drowning, burns, electrocution, poisoning and choking
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Lack of proper education
• Bullying
While many people are aware of these issues they do not understand just how great an impact they have on our children and our society as a whole. For example, more than 10 children die every day from injuries and many more are severely injured and even permanently disabled in accidents – that is more than 3 560 children a year who die in situations that could possibly have been prevented. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), South Africa sees approximately 57 000 deaths annually in children under the age of five due to a variety of causes.
The number of South African children suffering from child abuse is much higher – in the millions – while the most recent study conducted by UNICEF indicated that there are an estimated 3 400 000 orphans in the country.
