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Current news
Resources should be allocated towards ensuring policy and legislation tailored for the protection of women and children and fighting against gender-based violence.
Emerging research on violence against women and children finds that mental illness is common in women who’ve experienced intimate partner violence as well as men who’ve experienced childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
Current evidence from across the world indicates that children have largely been spared the severe illness and mortality affecting adults as a result of Covid-19. Yet, there are growing concerns that children are bearing the brunt of this pandemic.
As South Africa marks Child Protection Week, we should focus attention on issues of child protection and safety. Children face two pandemics, sexual violence and Covid-19, and remain excluded from national conversations. We do not know what is happening to them.
The Covid-19 pandemic is having far reaching and devasting human, social and economic effects across the globe. Many countries have imposed lockdown measures, confining people to their homes to curb the spread of the virus and reduce the loss of lives. Potentially, creating the perfect storm for the surge of another pandemic – violence against women and children.
A submission was made to the Ministers of Finance; Social Development; and Women, Youth and People with Disabilities on the social grant component of the disaster relief package. The submission, signed by a coalition of socio-economic experts, economists and prominent NGOs, calls on Cabinet to “reconsider the manner in which the allocation of social relief grants will occur, bearing in mind the necessity of an urgent pro-poor response that protects children, the unemployed, and the informal sector
The Children's Institute, as part of a group of concerned academics and civil society leaders has written a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa urging him to make a call for an urgent increase to the value of the Child Support Grant by R500 for a period of six months.
Prof Shanaaz Mathews, Director of the Children’s Institute was nominated to serve on The Lancet Commission on Gender-based Violence and Maltreatment of Young People.
South African children are vulnerable to injuries, not just those that are accidental but also those inflicted intentionally. This is according to the 2019 Child Gauge report, an annual publication that explores how children in South Africa are faring.
The South African Child Gauge 2019 calls for the prioritisation of child and adolescent health in order to disrupt the intergenerational cycles of poverty and violence, and ensure that all of South Africa's children are able to thrive.
We don’t need more research, we need action. Some of what must be done is already outlined in South African laws and policies. The Children’s Act, for instance, makes violence prevention interventions mandatory.
In June, the Children's Institute, as part of a group of concerned academics and civil society leaders wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa urging him to make violence against women and violence against children in ALL it's forms a top priority for his new cabinet. The president's office sent us a lacklustre response that same month.
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Featured Publications
- BRIEFING PAPER
- RESEARCH REPORT
- RESEARCH REPORT
- LAW REVIEW
- EARLY CHILDHOOD REVIEW 2017
- HEALTH GUIDE
Shifting Attitudes and Behaviours Underpinning Physical Punishment of Children
The purpose of this briefing paper is to assist policy makers and practitioners to make informed decisions about interventions that could support the development and implementation of policies and programmes targeting physical punishment. This briefing paper presents evidence on largescale interventions that have been used to shift attitudes and behaviours underpinning physical punishment. In light of the paucity of evidence in relation to physical punishment, the briefing paper also presents evidence on the effectiveness of large-scale interventions targeting other forms of violence against children and intimate partner violence.Out of Harm's Way? Tracking Child Abuse Cases Through the Child Protection System at Five Selected Sites in SA
The study aims to document how the child protection system processes reported cases of child abuse, and make recommendations about how child protection services could be strengthened, to reduce the risk of trauma to children and breaking the inter-generational cycle of violence. In particular the study generates recommendations for the specific improvement of child protection services within the local setting.
Towards a More Comprehensive Understanding of the Direct and Indirect Determinants of Violence against Women and Children in South Africa with a View to Enhancing Violence Prevention.
The main objective of this report is to provide the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to Investigate the Root Causes of Violence Against Women and Children with a critical analysis of the risk and protective factors, or determinants, associated with violence (physical, sexual and emotional) against women and children in South Africa, as well as an indepth understanding of the relationship between the relevant variables, and to recommend practical violence reduction and prevention interventions.Policy Brief Series: Child Poverty (Early Childhood Development, Children and Violence)
This briefing paper summarises a review of research evidence on child poverty in South Africa. The review was initially undertaken in 2011, and was updated in 2017 to reflect more recent studies. It was commissioned by the Presidency’s Programme to Support Pro-Poor Policy Development (PSPPD). The review includes both quantitative and qualitative studies, but is limited to research that focuses specifically on child poverty.South African Early Childhood Review 2017
Early childhood development (ECD) services are needed to support the development of young children. With commitment from government sectors to work together, an essential package of ECD services can be delivered to all South Africa’s young children. This review presents a set of indicators to support inter-sectoral planning, delivery and monitoring of an essential package of ECD services, from conception to the age of six.Children's Act Guide for Health Professionals
This guide is for people working in the health sector, and outlines the specific provisions of the Children’s Act that apply to health professionals. It explains the children's rights and principles that inform the Act and addresses difficult questions such as how to determine the best interests of the child, and whether consensual sex between adolescents should be reported. The guide also details the consent requirements for different health services, and explains what to do in an emergency, or in case of conflict between parents and the child. It informs health professionals of their mandatory obligations to report abuse and neglect and examines how to interpret these requirements in light of recent court judgements. This edition has been substantially updated and includes short cases from health professionals to assist with the interpretation of the Act.
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