The number of child abuse cases in Gauteng has soared, the Department of Social Development in the province has said.
Between January last year and April this year, there were 1 339 cases in the provinces.
According to MEC Morakane Mosupyoe, in a reply to questions by the DA in the legislature, of the 1339 cases reported, 656 were of sexual abuse and 287 physical abuse.
Deliberate neglect cases totalled 220 while 160 of the cases pertained to emotional abuse.
Another 13 cases were of children who were abandoned, while there was one child labour and one child trafficking case.
DA spokesperson for social development Refiloe Nt’sekhe said these numbers were sad and worrying considering that the department had underspent by R300million on its children and families’ programme this past financial year.
She said the money could have been used on child abuse awareness campaigns and in making people aware of child abuse and its impact on the future of children.
She said the department also failed to meet its targets regarding programmes such as families participating in parenting programmes, or families receiving crisis intervention services.
She said psychological support to children in need of care and foster care placement had also been lacking.
Nt’sekhe said they would hold the MEC accountable to explain what happened to the perpetrators of these child abuse cases and whether they had been arrested or convicted.
“We will also demand the names of the perpetrators to be entered into the national child protection register for them to be declared unsuitable to work with children.”
She said that the department must put measures in place to ensure that the number of child abuse cases did not escalate.
Pretoria News