During the first nine months of 2022, South Africa saw the murder of 864 children, the attempted murder of 909 children and 5 502 cases of assault to do grievous bodily harm towards children.
In the past six months, Action Society received a mandate to act as a watching brief in the cases of three toddlers – Mia Botha, Chevonne Rusch and Bokgabo Poo – who were kidnapped, raped, mutilated and murdered. Unfortunately, most offenders against children are repeat offenders.
“These numbers and realities paint a sad, sickening and unacceptable picture of how the country fails children,” said Kaylynn Palm, Action Centre coordinator at Action Society. “We will not stand by and let more children be harmed. No child should ever be at risk because the justice system does not protect them. We need to act now.”
Therefore Action Society today launched a campaign to pressure the Ministries of Police and Justice to deny bail for any offender against children.
“We urge South Africans to support our campaign to arrest this pandemic,” said Palm. “Adults need to speak up for children who cannot speak for themselves.”
Support the campaign here: https://actionsociety.co.za/no-bail-for-offenders-against-children
