MINISTER DINA PULE TO LEAD CHILDREN’S SUMMIT ON ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN MBOMBELA, MPUMALANGA.

By DSD News

• Child-centred, participatory methods will allow children to speak freely, with their input shaping child-informed recommendations.
• ⁠The Summit supports the country’s 2024 commitment to seven breakthroughs across 52 districts.
• Government, civil society, communities, development partners, the private sector and children will work together in new partnerships.

Pretoria, 30 September 2026 -Children from across South Africa will take centre stage in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, this week as the Minister of Social Development, Ms Dina Pule, leads a Children’s Summit on Ending Violence Against Children, guided by the principle “Nothing About Children Without Children.”

The two-day gathering, starting on 1 October 2026, comes in the build-up to the Second Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children. Its central aim is to make sure that children’s own priorities shape renewed commitments and hold decision-makers accountable.

At the First Global Ministerial Conference in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2024, South Africa committed to seven breakthroughs to be rolled out across 52 districts. The Mbombela Summit forms part of the country’s follow-through on that promise, and will use child-centred, inclusive and participatory approaches so that children can freely express their views and experiences.

A threat in every space

South Africa’s commitment is part of a wider global effort, as children continue to face violence at home, at school, in their communities and in institutions. Increasingly, they are also at risk online through cyberbullying, exploitation and other harmful digital interactions.

Who will be there

Child Ambassadors from all nine provinces will join participants from non-governmental organisations and the religious and traditional sectors in the deliberations. They will be joined by officials from the Departments of Social Development, Basic Education, Health, and Justice and Constitutional Development, as well as the National Prosecuting Authority, the South African Police Service, and child protection and civil society organisations.
By bringing children into the room where decisions are made, the Summit aims to ensure that the solutions to violence against children are shaped by those who experience it most.