Child protection month kicked off on 1 May.
Image: File
As South Africa observes Child Protection Month , recent incidents involving the deaths of newborn babies have once again placed the focus on child protection systems, maternal support services and violence affecting children.
Within hours of one another, two newborn babies were found dumped and deceased in separate incidents in the Western Cape, raising renewed concerns among child protection organisations during a period dedicated to safeguarding children.
Siya Monakali, spokesperson for Ilitha Labantu, said the incidents highlighted ongoing concerns surrounding child abandonment, access to support services and whether existing child protection mechanisms were adequately responding to vulnerable mothers and children.
According to Monakali, child abandonment cannot be viewed separately from broader socio-economic challenges affecting many women and families.
“Poverty, unemployment, gender-based violence, stigma, and limited access to healthcare and psychosocial support continue to place significant strain on vulnerable mothers and families,” he said.
He added that greater attention also needed to be given to maternal mental health and the psychological impact of trauma, abuse, poverty and social instability on vulnerable mothers.
“In many instances, women facing crisis pregnancies or severe socio-economic hardship do so without adequate psychosocial support, mental health intervention, or accessible community-based services,” Monakali said.
He said meaningful child protection required coordinated intervention measures, improved access to social workers and healthcare services, strengthened community-based support systems and public education around safe and lawful alternatives available to mothers who may feel unable to care for their newborns.
Echoing similar concerns, Dr Shaheda Omar, clinical director of The Teddy Bear Foundation, said the deaths of two babies in such a short period had triggered concern across the child protection sector.
“The deaths of two babies in such a short space of time tend to trigger a very specific, deeply felt response across the child protection sector, one that is a mix of grief, anger, and a renewed sense of urgency,” Omar said.
According to Omar, child protection practitioners continue to identify several barriers affecting vulnerable mothers and children, including under-resourced mental health services, limited early detection of distress in new mothers, fragmented service delivery between healthcare and social support systems, and shortages of trained personnel such as social workers, psychologists and community health workers.
She said stigma surrounding mental health remained another challenge, particularly in communities where mothers feared judgment or being labelled unfit.
Omar further explained that while postnatal depression formed part of the discussion, it should not be viewed as the sole explanation for incidents involving child abandonment.
“This situation points to a broader ecosystem failure, including lack of routine mental health screening during and after pregnancy, insufficient follow-up care after birth, inadequate community-based support systems, poor accessibility of services and social isolation,” she said.
Among the interventions being highlighted by organisations are universal maternal mental health screening during antenatal and postnatal stages, strengthening community healthcare programmes, integrated service models between NGOs and government departments, parenting support programmes and public awareness campaigns encouraging mothers to seek help.
Omar said support services available to mothers included clinics, community health workers, social workers through the Department of Social Development, and organisations such as South African Depression and Anxiety Group, Lifeline South Africa and Childline South Africa.
The concerns raised during Child Protection Week also come amid ongoing violence against children nationally.
According to recent South African Police Service quarterly crime statistics for the 2024/2025 reporting period, 315 children were murdered within a three-month period, while 490 cases of attempted murder against children were recorded. During the same period, 1,944 children were victims of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Statistics South Africa has further indicated that rape accounts for approximately 38% of all reported crimes committed against children, while assault and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm account for nearly 45% of reported crimes against minors.
Monakali said children in South Africa continued to experience abuse, neglect and violence in homes, schools and communities, often at the hands of people known to them.
“These include family members, parents, guardians and acquaintances who are expected to safeguard the well-being and dignity of children,” he said.
He added that schools, particularly in township and rural communities, were increasingly being expected to respond to complex psychosocial challenges affecting learners despite lacking adequate resources and support systems.
Sarah Roberts, the Western Cape Commissioner for Children, said the province faced additional child protection concerns linked to gang violence and gang recruitment.
“In the Western Cape, our child protection landscape looks different from that of some of the other provinces. Apart from abuse and neglect of children, we have the added concern of gang violence and gang recruitment of young children,” Roberts said.
She added that child protection could not rest solely with government departments, but required collective involvement from communities, civil society organisations and multiple stakeholders.
Roberts said the Office of the Children’s Commissioner had intensified oversight and advocacy efforts through unannounced visits to Child and Youth Care Centres, Early Childhood Development sites, clinics and schools across urban and rural communities.
“These direct interactions offer invaluable insights into the living conditions and experiences of children,” she said.
She further noted that the office was participating in public engagements with the Provincial Parliament’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Child Protection Reform in Vredenburg on the West Coast to gather community concerns relating to child safety and protection.
The commissioner also highlighted ongoing participation in Area-Based Team engagements in communities such as Delft, where concerns around violence, safety and risks facing children were discussed with law enforcement agencies, schools and social services.
According to Roberts, insights gathered from these engagements were helping inform the Commissioner’s Community Child Rights Workshops aimed at educating children about their rights and safety.
Addressing child abandonment and child safety, Roberts said support and public awareness remained critical.
“Parents must be able to ask for help without feeling judged or being made out to be ‘bad parents’,” she said.
She added that public education around available resources and support systems needed to be strengthened to ensure vulnerable parents were aware of where assistance could be found.
These organisations agreed that protecting children starts long before a tragedy occurs, through early intervention, accessible healthcare, mental health support, stronger community structures and coordinated social services that identify vulnerable mothers and families before they reach crisis point.
They stressed that child protection cannot rest solely on awareness campaigns or reactive interventions after incidents occur, but requires sustained investment in prevention, education, trauma-informed care and accessible support systems for both children and caregivers.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za