UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN TAKES GLOBAL MISSION TO CAPE TOWN

By Precious Mupenzi

•  ⁠A visit to the Sivuyile Child and Youth Care Centre in Bellville, Cape Town, shows visitors the complex and very real challenges of supporting vulnerable children with disabilities.
• The centre was one of the stops made by the United Nations Special Representative on Violence Against Children, Dr Najat Maalla M’jid, who is currently on a fact-finding mission to South Africa.
• Dr M’jid noted that in every country she has visited, people interpreted ‘community-based services’ differently. “But we must be clear: community services should not be seen only as infrastructure it must include a strong social workforce.”

From the quiet testimonies behind the walls of a shelter to the laughter of children navigating disability with dignity, the United Nations Special Representative on Violence Against Children, Dr Najat Maalla M’jid, experienced a deeply human side of South Africa’s child protection landscape during her recent visit to Cape Town.

Dr M’jid took her mission beyond boardrooms and straight into the heart of communities.

Her stops included the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children in Athlone and the Sivuyile Child and Youth Care Centre in Bellville, a facility whose Xhosa name translates to “We Are Happy”, a promise it is striving to keep.

The Department of Social Development is spearheading these critical engagements as part of its national Child Protection Month campaign — a concerted effort to raise awareness, strengthen child protection systems, and mobilise communities across South Africa to prioritise the safety and well-being of every child.

“I have lived at Sivuyile for one year. Since I arrived here, I have received a walker and learned to walk with it,” said Mikaya*, an eight-year-old resident with physical disabilities.

Jared*, a nine-year-old boy who has been at the centre for two months, added: “Since I came here, I’ve learned to greet others and sing along to our daily song.”

Sivuyile began in 2010 as a collaboration between the Down Syndrome Association Western Cape and the Department of Social Development. It has since grown into a fully registered Child and Youth Care Centre that also provides care for adults, housing over 110 residents, many of whom live with cerebral palsy, autism, foetal alcohol syndrome, psychiatric disorders, or are in advanced or terminal care.

Sixty-six residents are wheelchair users, and the facility goes through 380 nappies and serves 2 120 meals every week.

Acting facility manager Jenni Brenner noted that while the centre is staffed by 16 permanent professionals, including nurses and occupational therapists, it relies on 104 contract staff — from home-based carers to cleaners — as well as strong partnerships with the Department of Health, local religious organisations, and volunteers.

However, challenges remain immense, especially around supporting families and communities to care for children with disabilities.

Neliswa Cekiso, Director for Child Protection at the Department of Social Development, highlighted the department’s proactive efforts: “We feel that parents and caregivers are not capacitated enough. That’s why we’re scaling up our Parenting Programme — to support parents so they don’t abandon or harm their children.”

She explained that partial care services, such as drop-in centres and RISIHA (Building Resilience) programmes, provide vital community-based support to families without institutionalising children.

Addressing the UN delegation, Child Protection Specialist Sina Moruane from UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) stressed that stigma and ignorance continue to be major barriers.

“People do not have enough information. We must help them realise that a child with a disability is still a child — and that we must build community-level capacity to care for them.”

Dr M’jid echoed these sentiments, calling for a redefinition of what “community-based services” truly mean.

“In every country I visit, people interpret it differently. But we must be clear: community services should not be seen only as infrastructure, it must include a strong social workforce,” she said.

“We cannot keep responding reactively. We need to be proactive. As an African myself, I reject the notion that poverty and social norms justify violence.”

She also emphasised the need for budgeting models that include both human and non-human resources, and highlighted Zambia’s recent example of costing out its full community-based child protection model, including economic empowerment, access to education, and social protection.

Deputy Director-General for Welfare Services, Siza Magangoe, commenting on the broader context of child protection in South Africa, raised serious concerns about emerging patterns of child-on-child abuse.

She highlighted the need for urgent attention to behavioural trends among young boys, stating: “We acknowledge that there is a real and growing problem. We are seeing cases where children as young as 10 or 12 are involved in committing sexual offences against other children. This disturbing trend calls for deliberate and sustained efforts to work with the boy child — to instil positive values, challenge harmful behaviours, and reshape attitudes from an early age.”

Magangoe’s remarks reflect the complex and evolving challenges within the child protection space, reinforcing the need for early intervention and holistic prevention strategies.

Dr M’jid concluded with a powerful reminder: “Violence against children — whether due to poverty, disability, or social norms — is never acceptable. It is a political choice to act, and we must push this agenda forward. If we want to change the future, we must start with children, every single one of them.”

As Child Protection Month continues across South Africa, the voices of Mikaya, Jared, and hundreds like them remain a poignant call to action, urging society not just to protect, but to empower and uplift its most vulnerable.

•⁠ ⁠Not their real names