“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul
than the way in which it treats its children” Nelson Mandela

“For every woman and girl violently attacked, We reduce our humanity;
For every woman and girl forced into unprotected sex because men demand
this – we destroy dignity and pride”. Nelson Mandela.

Why Child Protection?

  • 1 in 3 children experience some form of physical or sexual abuse, 80% are abused by people they know, 1 in 9 cases are reported, 7% child abusers get convicted, (Women and Men Against Child Abuse)
  • 2554 cases of neglect and maltreatment in 2014/2015 (Crime Research and Statistics within South African Police Service (SAPS)
  • 577 000 (about 1 in 20) children involved in child labour with KZN having the highest proportion with 1 in 10 (StatsSA 2015)
  • 30,000 children are trafficked into the country annually as part of the sex trade (Dept of Home Affairs)
  • The rate of child homicide in the country is more than double the global average (World Health Organisation (WHO) Bulletin, August 2014)
  • South Africa also has the highest incidence of bullying among all 50 countries participating in the study. Some 42% of Grade 4 pupils indicated that they were bullied weekly (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2016 – South African Children’s Reading Literacy Achievement)
  • Violence against children is widespread, affecting the health, social and psychological well-being of children – 26 000 cases of sexual violence against children was reported (this is 40% of all rape cases). It is estimated that only 1 in 9 cases are reported to the South African Police Services (SAPS).
  • It has also been found that 30% of girls are raped in school, and many suffer more than one incident of violence while only a quarter of rapes occur from someone they do not know
  • The Optimus Foundation conducted a study whose results were released end of 2016 and it revealed that a total of at least 784 967 young people in South Africa have been the victims of sexual abuse by the age of 17 years. The mean age at which girls first experienced sexual abuse was 14, while boys typically reported their first experience to be at the age of 15 years. The study further revealed that  first experiences of and exposure to any form sexual abuse occurred between the ages of 1 and 17

Structural Determinants

  • Family structures
  • Household income
  • Gender
  • Presence of drugs & crime in household
  • Family temper & conflict
  • Adverse influences in neighbourhood
  • Drug and alcohol abuse
  • Community engagement

Our Work

  • Faith and traditional leaders are empowered to provide a caring and protective environment for all girls and boys, especially the most vulnerable children
  • Caregivers and Families of most vulnerable children respect, nurture and protect all girls and boys
  • Girls and Boys have life skills and resilience to protect themselves and their peers
  • Child Protection formal and informal mechanisms are collaborating effectively in protecting boys & girls from abuse
  • Girls and Boys are influential child well-being actors amongst their peers, in their family and in their community
  • Children grow in their knowledge and experience of God
  • We contribute to the development and implementation of children’s policies (WVSA is an active Working Group member of the Yezingane Network / National Child Protection Forum)
  • WVSA has entered into an MoU with the Department of Traditional Affairs with the aim of building capacity for Traditional Leadership in the Provinces in Child Protection, HIV and AIDs, Gender and Social Accountability through the “Citizens Voice in Action” (CVA) model
  • WVSA’s objectives are:
    • Ensure children and mothers survive and thrive;
    • Influence quality of age-appropriate education for girls and boys;
    • Ensure children are protected, spiritually nurtured and participating;
    • Ensure children and youth benefit from increased food security and economic development
  • World Vision have launched and are active in campaign entitled: “IT TAKES A WORLD TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN”
  • Application of the Celebrating Families (CF) approach which empowers families to enjoy positive and loving relationships, and are able to plan and work together towards achieving their hope and vision for the future
  • We use Child Protection and Advocacy (CP and A) to prevent and respond to exploitation, violence, marginalisation, neglect and abuse against children, including sexual exploitation and harmful traditional practices, such as child marriages
  • Citizens Voice & Action (CVA) is an effective local level advocacy approach used by World Vision globally and in South Africa to increase local government accountability
  • We use our community partners and Channels of Hope Programme to prevent and respond to issues of gender based violence, addressing the core cultural and individual developmental needs.
  • Through Youth Clubs we create safe, enabling environments for children to spend time doing homework, playing sport, developing leadership and life skills and learning how to approach life creatively.

World Vision South Africa is A Child Safe Organisation

  • Policies in place which are implemented
  • Standards that everyone adheres to
  • Partners that are child safe – have policies that are protective to children.
  • Programmes that protect children from any harm, prevent children from being abused and restore children with their families