As South Africa commences its annual celebration of Youth Month, the first week of June marks Child Protection Week, an important observance dedicated to highlighting child abuse and addressing strategies to combat it. This year, the week is recognised from 29 May to 5 June.
The ReStory Foundation has issued a powerful call to action, urging parents, educators, policymakers, and communities to unite in safeguarding the nation’s children. Natalie Naude, Empowerment Manager at the foundation, stated that Child Protection Week draws crucial attention to the urgent needs of South African children and exposes a devastating, often hidden reality: a silent pandemic of child sexual abuse. This abuse, she explained, is devastating young lives, perpetuated by silence, stigma, and systemic failures.
Naude emphasised this year’s official theme, ‘Every Conversation Matters: Shifting Conversation to Action,’ asserting it “demands more than awareness. It calls for decisive, collective action to protect children, dismantle harmful narratives, and restore dignity to survivors.” She further added that for too long, victims have unfairly carried the weight of shame that rightfully belongs to perpetrators.
“Children who have suffered abuse are not to blame. They deserve to be believed, supported, and empowered to heal,” Naude affirmed. She cited alarming statistics: “According to official statistics, a child is raped every 30 minutes in this country, with rape accounting for nearly 40% of all crimes reported against children. Yet, only 3 in 100 reported cases result in a trial – an alarming sign of systemic failure.”
She highlighted that these figures represent only a fraction of the problem, as “the vast majority of abuse goes unreported, buried beneath layers of fear, shame, and deep mistrust in the justice system.” While 91% of reported cases involve girls, she cautioned that this is misleading, referencing the State of the South African Child 2023 Report. “A 2021 study found that 2 in 5 male pupils admitted to having been raped. Experts estimate that only 4–10% of male sexual assaults are ever reported. Many boys remain silent, haunted by stigma, confusion, and fears of being labelled or dismissed.” A staggering 56% of unreported male cases, Naude explained, are linked to fears of being perceived as homosexual, fuelled by “a damaging societal belief that ‘men cannot be raped.’ This narrative must be dismantled.”
Naude stressed the importance of helping children process trauma, reclaim their voices, and find belonging. This, she believes, will not only protect the current generation but also equip them to raise a future generation capable of protecting others. “Unprocessed trauma wreaks long-term havoc. When abuse is silenced, trauma festers. The psychological impact of child sexual abuse is profound and enduring. Male victims, in particular, often experience heightened rates of post-traumatic stress, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation.” She powerfully concluded that “children are not bearers of shame, they are survivors.”
