Pretoria - The number of inquiries to establish whether the names of job applicants are included in the Child Protection Register (CPR) show that child protection is being prioritised, says the Social Development Department.
Employers and individuals have inquired in order to prevent children from working or prevent people who are unsuitable to work with children. This as the country is marking Child Protection Week from 31 May to 7 June under the theme “Working together to protect children”.
The National Child Protection Register consists of a Part A and a Part B. Part A has a record of all the reports of abuse or deliberate neglect of a child, all convictions of all persons on charges involving the abuse or deliberate neglect of a child and all findings by a children's court that a child is in need of care and protection because of the abuse and deliberate neglect.
Part B has a record of persons who are unsuitable to work with children and to use the information in the register (part B) in order to protect children in general against abuse from these persons.
In the 2014/15 financial year, the department received 63 664 inquiries into Part B of the register up from 41 129 in the previous financial year.
“We are pleased that more South Africans and organisations that work with children have become aware of the CPR and are using it to screen job applicants.
“Government cannot work on its own and requires all South Africans to partner with it to address and end child abuse, neglect and exploitation. We are therefore encouraged that inquiries against the register are rising,” said Minister Bathabile Dlamini.
The Minister said that both the Departments of Social Development and Justice and Constitutional Development are in the process of investigating the feasibility of merging the CPR and the National Register for Sex Offenders as a solution in respect of the duplication between the two registers.
These two registers currently operate independently from each other by providing information to persons who are obligated in terms of the respective pieces of legislation to establish whether the particulars of certain persons have been included in the registers or not. This results in one applicant having to submit separate applications to the two registers.
Child Protection Week was initiated in 1997 in order to raise awareness and mobilise all sectors and communities towards the perspective of a holistic development and the care and protection of children.
Government believes that protecting children and creating a safe and secure environment is everybody’s responsibility.
“Government urges everyone to wear the Green Ribbon during Child Protection Week to show support for the promotion of rights, care and protection of children. We urge NGOs, faith-based organisations, traditional leadership, the media, organised labour and civil society to work with government to prevent child abuse, neglect and exploitation,” said Minister Dlamini. – SAnews.gov.za
