On Friday 15 November 2024 Swartland Municipality launched its campaign for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Violence Against Children.
This year, the municipality’s focus will be on raising awareness of the alarming issue of missing and trafficked children.
“Children remain one of the most vulnerable groups in our society, yet tracking and addressing the scale of the issue is challenging,” stated the municipality on the launch of its campaign. “The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Missing Persons Bureau has not released comprehensive statistics on missing children since 2013, making it difficult to track cases, identify patterns, or uncover potential criminal syndicates. According to Missing Children South Africa, 77% of missing children are found, but tragically, 23% are never recovered, found deceased, trafficked or are never heard from again. This stark reality is a sobering fact for parents and caregivers in a country already grappling with high levels of violent crime.”
In response to this urgent need, Swartland Municipality is amplifying its efforts to address GBV and child protection. In 2022, Swartland pioneered the first-ever GBV Ambassador Programme in South Africa, which has since become a model of best practice, adopted by various municipalities across the country. Each ward in Swartland now has a trained GBV ambassador who plays a key role in advocating against gender-based violence, supporting vulnerable individuals and educating communities on available resources and referral pathways for those affected by abuse.
This year, the municipality has expanded the training of its GBV ambassadors to include procedures for handling cases of missing children. The new training focuses on the critical referral pathways when a child goes missing, empowering the ambassadors to assist families and communities in navigating this distressing situation.
During the 16 Days of Activism campaign, Swartland’s ward councillors and GBV Ambassadors will engage with communities across the region, sharing vital information on how to respond if a child goes missing, including reporting the case and seeking immediate support.
“The message we want to convey is simple: Your child is my child,” said Desirée Bess, Mayco Member for Social Services. “Every person, in every community, has an obligation to prioritise the safety and welfare of children, even if they are not your own. If we are to build healthy, thriving communities, we must all take responsibility for the well-being of our children.”
Swartland Municipality’s initiative reinforces its ongoing commitment to combating gender-based violence and child abuse, creating safer spaces for all members of the community, and particularly the most vulnerable.
