Cape Town - The Department of Social Development (DSD) has unveiled plans to expand and further strengthen its child abuse awareness initiative ‘Eye on the Child’ ahead of the upcoming Child Protection Week.
The initiative seeks to increase awareness regarding the prevention of child abuse and neglect by reinforcing structures for identifying children who are victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation as well as their management.
According to the department, the initiative will be introduced gradually into the metro over the coming weeks.
DSD spokesperson Esther Lewis said the department was looking forward to moving its child-focused initiative into the city after funding several successful projects under its banner in rural communities on the outskirts of the province.
The Eye on the Child programme is currently run in rural regions by NPOs Child Welfare SA and ACVV, with the financial backing from the department, working to assist and support vulnerable children under the age of 18.
“The department will implement the programme in the metro during this financial year. We will embark on awareness-raising activities in collaboration with other departments and across all six regions.”
DA social development spokesperson Gillion Bosman has welcomed plans for the initiative to expand into the city.
“We welcome the work that the department has done in rolling out this programme. Eye on the Child is a testament to the efforts of the province in protecting our children and teenagers. By working with NPOs and communities we can create a stable future for the children of this province.”
The department is preparing to host a series of engaging activities ahead of Child Protection Week, which officially begins on May 30, and these will run for an entire week.
“We will have activities in collaboration with other departments and across the province’s six regions. Aside from strengthening our existing protocols, we will also work with volunteers in local and impoverished communities who will serve as primary warning systems for cases relating to the abuse and neglect of children, and refer these cases to social workers for intervention,” said Lewis.
The DSD’s planned Child Protection Week campaign is set to be launched in public spaces where there is regular foot traffic.