MINISTER SISISI TOLASHE TO COMMEMORATE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES IN CAPE TOWN

• Every 15 May, the world observes the International Day of Families.
• The day, which takes place as South Africa runs Child Protection Month campaigns, focuses on the importance of families as the first line of defence in protecting children.
• During the official commemoration, Minister of Social Development Sisisi Tolashe will launch the Revised White Paper on Families and the Families Matter Programme, highlighting the care and protection of children.

Minister of Social Development Sisisi Tolashe will tomorrow, 15 May 2025, commemorate International Day of Families as part of Child Protection Month currently underway across the country.

The International Day of Families, observed by the United Nations every 15 May, aims to bring into focus the importance of families as the first line of defence in the protection of children.

Child protection is a shared responsibility, with parents, caregivers, and the entire community called on to play a key role and contribute to creating a safe environment for children.

During the official commemoration, the minister will launch the Revised White Paper on Families and the Families Matter Programme, highlighting the care and protection of children.

The International Day of Families 2025 emphasises the importance of integrating family-focused policies into national development agendas to address megatrends such as technological transformation, demographic shifts, urbanisation, migration, and climate change.

Under the theme “Family-oriented policies for sustainable development: towards the second World Summit for Social Development 2025”, this year’s commemoration seeks to highlight the importance of supporting and strengthening families.

The second World Summit for Social Development will take place in Doha, Qatar from 4-6 November 2025, providing an opportunity for global role players to strengthen commitments to poverty eradication, decent work, and social inclusion.

The summit builds on the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration, which recognised families as the foundation of society and underscored the need for work-family balance and equal partnerships within households.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child too clearly articulates the important role of the family towards child protection and mandates governments to step in if families are unable to do so.

Current family-centred interventions such as positive parenting, the Family’s Matter programmes, and the social assistance programmes seek to ensure that families have the necessary resources and support to protect children and strengthen families.

Child Protection Month, which takes place every May in South Africa, is happening while the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children, Dr Najat Maalla M’jid, is in the country to monitor progress on South Africa’s various programmes to end violence against children.