Eastern Cape youth raise concerns over child safety, protection

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Young people in the Eastern Cape have raised concerns about the lack of protection and the safety of children in society.
They say they remain subjected to various forms of abuse and the matter is not being adequately addressed.

The provincial government has commemorated the Day of the African Child at Tarkastad under the theme “Advancing Child Safety: A Shared Duty”.

These young people say they remain vulnerable to traditional practices such as ukuthwala – the practice of young girls being kidnapped and married off without consent, as well as gender-based violence (GBV).

They say they feel unprotected.

One young person, Khazimla Adam says a lot still needs to be done for young people to realise their rights.

“Recently there have been murders and GBV victims here in the Eastern Cape which is heartbreaking. These are things that need to be addressed. We have the child rights that are inscribed in our constitution but the implementation of them needs to be more.”

“As we are coming from the villages, we have to cross rivers and an issue when there are floods and we cannot go across the rivers. So, that’s an issue we as learners from the villages have to cross rivers before getting to school,” laments another learner.

They are calling for the laws relating to these challenges to be tightened and implemented properly.

Government is equally concerned about the abuse of children’s rights. Acting Eastern Cape Premier Bukiwe Fanta says, “We want to appeal to communities because children are within communities to protect our kids. Kids are vulnerable, kids are being raped, kids are being murdered at homes at the time they are being murdered, and sometimes at schools. We have got instances where a child was dumped in a pit latrine.”

Young people have been encouraged to speak out when they experience any form of violation.