Charity organisations — The story of fighting child abuse

On a daily basis, we are faced with a barrage of child abuse statistics, posing the danger of us losing sight of the personal impact this violence has on each child. Individual stories go unheard as scars and bruises are covered by these statistics. But the numbers cannot be ignored. That is the vital role charity organisations play in our society — doggedly working to reduce the numbers of children facing abuse, and persistently trying to help us hear their stories, so that we can help protect the most vulnerable and be a voice for the voiceless.

The picture is troubling. SA statistics from 2015–2018 indicate that 41% of all reported rape cases involved children. The numbers of children who have witnessed violence or are victims of abuse in their homes and communities are alarming.

Each of these children should never be relegated to a number; they have names and faces, and they should be playing, smiling and enjoying the innocence of childhood. They have a right to be protected and a right to a future. But no matter how tender our hearts may be, we cannot make a difference alone. Partnering with reputable charity organisations, however, is the starting point to the stories being heard.

Take a moment to imagine these stories that represent many children’s realities in South Africa:

Busisiwe’s story

Busi’s name means ’blessed,’ but there is little in her 3 years of life experience to justify that meaning. She never knew her birth father. Her mother had been raped. Her abuse started when her stepfather moved in. He had a fancy car. The bottle made him angry. While Busi’s mother was at work, he would throw her little body against the wall and kick her in the stomach, just because she was there, in the way. There was nothing her mother could do. She, too, was afraid.

Abulele’s story

Abu’s name means ‘thankful,’ and it was given to him by the Social Worker working with a charity organization that partners with Places of Safety and Baby Homes for abandoned babies. His mother’s circumstances are unknown. Abu was found as a newborn in a plastic bag, dumped at the door of a rural clinic. As he grows up in a children’s home, his future remains uncertain.

Read More Stories on the UNICEF South Africa website