‘WHEN YOU SEE ME, YOU SEE A SEX OBJECT’: CHILLING TESTIMONY MARKS START OF CHILD PROTECTION CAMPAIGN

By Precious Mupenzi

•  ⁠It was the voices of the young that set the tone for the launch of Child Protection Month in South Africa – raw, yet powerful messages of vulnerability and abuse.
• Speaking at the launch of the campaign in Thaba Nchu on 11 May 2025, Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae bluntly described the unimaginable abuse still suffered by many children across the country.
• Letsoha-Mathae urged families and communities to report every case of child abuse, adding “our silence is complicity in their suffering”.

“When you see me, you see a sex object. We are not safe from anyone in this room.” These chilling words from a 12-year-old child echoed through the packed hall in Thaba Nchu, setting the tone as South Africa launched Child Protection Month 2025.

The young voices, through poetry and music, delivered powerful messages that abuse often begins within families, and that children, though vulnerable, are finding their voice.

It was a sentiment Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae captured bluntly in her address at the launch event in Thaba Nchu on 11 May 2025.

“Kubi, it’s bad,” she said, describing the unimaginable abuse still suffered by many children across the country. Urging families and communities to step up, Letsoha-Mathae added: “We must report every case of child abuse. Our silence is complicity in their suffering.”

The launch, held in partnership with government departments, civil society organisations, and international donors, marks the start of a campaign deeply rooted in South Africa’s constitutional obligation to protect children’s rights, as enshrined in Section 28 of the Bill of Rights.

The Department of Social Development has intensified its 365 Days Child Protection Programme of Action, aiming to make child protection not just an annual event but an ongoing national commitment.

Among those leading this charge is Peter Kearabetswe Khoase, deputy president of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Parliament and Free State child ambassador.

Serving as co-programme director for the event, Khoase reminded the audience, which included Minister of Social Development Sisisi Tolashe, that children’s voices must not only be heard but also shape the nation’s agenda.

“We value children and their presence in the country. Government, political principals, and parents have to protect and provide support for children,” Khoase said. “I cannot express enough my deep concerns for the children of South Africa, but as child leaders, we will address and strive to make the presence of children audible in the country.”

Khoase also underscored that the issues raised at the launch reinforce the commitments captured in the outcome statement handed over to Minister Tolashe during the recent Africa Children’s Summit, held in Johannesburg in early April.

Throughout the event, the community spoke with one voice about their collective role in ending violence against children.

But it was the raw testimony from the children themselves that left the deepest mark — reminders that behind every policy and every programme are millions of young lives, approximately 21 million across South Africa, whose futures depend on urgent and sustained action.