South Africa is currently focusing on Child Protection Week which ends on 6 June. Action Society has reiterated their continued commitment to the safeguarding and protection of children in SA and will be implementing a 3-point plan to achieve this.
Their 3-point plan that all South Africans can rally behind is:
1. Getting public access to the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO).
2. Fixing the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Forensic Unit Data system and all legislation pertaining to it.
3. The immediate dismissal of Minister Bheki Cele.
“We are concerned that government lacks the will to enforce safety and security in South Africa. Civil society and citizens are therefore obliged to take a stand against the current justice system, which is failing to protect children against sex offenders, paedophiles, and abusers. With our #unmaskthemonsters campaign, Action Society demands that the NRSO be made available to the public. Making the NRSO accessible to the public for vetting potential employees for instance, will encourage transparency in communities and safeguard our children and other vulnerable parties. We are also campaigning for double life sentences to be handed down to anyone found guilty of the distribution or possession of child pornography, as we believe that this harsh sentence will serve as a deterrent for sexual predators,” says Dr Rineé Pretorius, spokesperson for Action Society.
The organisation is also calling for the dismissal of Minister Bheki Cele, as they believe his mismanagement of the South African Police Service (SAPS) is a crime against all South Africans, in particular children and women who are unable to protect themselves. The #CeleMustGo campaign highlights Cele’s incompetence as the Minister of Police which includes poor administration, system shutdowns, corruption, huge backlogs in crucial DNA processing, uncontrolled firearms, increased murder cases and delays in the approval of urgent amendment bills like the Convicted Offenders Amendment Bill (commonly referred to as the DNA Act.)
This past week, Action Society discussed the implications of the slow progress in the approval of the DNA Act at the inaugural Forensic DNA Symposium, hosted by DNA For Africa in Cape Town. The DNA Act will ensure that buccal DNA samples are taken from convicted schedule 8 offenders and stored in a national DNA database, which will have a massive impact in solving cold cases and linking repeat offenders to previous crimes.
“Action Society will continue to speak up, not just during Child Protection Week ̶ but every day of the year ̶ against the failing justice system in South Africa. Especially when it comes to safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society, our children. We urge the public to support our organisation and help us give a voice to the voiceless, we will not be silenced,” concludes Pretorius.
The organisation asks that the public support their campaigns, which focus on protecting children by visiting www.actionsociety.co.za.
ISSUED BY: Action Society
DATE: 4 June 2021
FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Dr. Rineé Pretorius
Spokesperson: Action Society
Cell: 083 507 7782
OR
Daleen Gouws
PR: Action Society
Cell: 081 233 8351
