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.
Since 1998 the South African government has commemorated Child Protection Week every year under the direction of the Department of Social Development. This is done to create awareness amongst South African communities about the shared role we each must play in safeguarding the children of our nation.
In order to reaffirm government’s position in creating a sense of communal responsibility in protecting our children, a five-year-long national theme of “Working together to protect children” was kicked off in 2017 for Child Protection Week.
