Johannesburg, 06 June, 2024 / 10:00 pm (ACI Africa).
On the occasion of the Child Protection Week marked in South Africa from May 29-June 5, officials of the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE) have urged Catholic Schools in the country to continue making child safeguarding a priority.
In their message on Wednesday, June 5, CIE officials recalled that since 2012 the entity has assisted Catholic schools in South Africa to adopt and implement a National Child Safeguarding Policy in order to keep God’s children safe.
“The policy was revised in 2018 and schools are trained to protect children, offer support when incidents of harm occur, and report these legally,” officials of the department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) said, and appealed to Catholic schools to continue to “make child safeguarding a priority, to ensure adequate resources are in place and that the requirements of the policy are ensured.”
They expressed “deep concern” about the “high levels of violence in South Africa and the impact this has not only on learners but teachers and communities as well.”
“The Children’s Institute’s Child Gauge reports that 42% of children in South Africa have experienced violence,” they said, and added, “This staggering statistic requires urgent and easily available support. The Mental Health needs of school communities need to be addressed and psychosocial support be accessible.”
