Western Cape Social Development MEC Albert Fritz on Wednesday urged parents and caregivers to take the necessary precautions to ensure children’s safety over the festive season.
The department said that over the December holidays, there were often cases of missing children and child abandonment reported to the provincial social development department, and that was often caused by children being left alone, and parents abusing substances, including alcohol and narcotics. In turn, they neglect their duty of care towards children.
Recent child protection statistics reveal that between April 2017 and March 2018, there were 38 cases of child abandonment in the Western Cape. The period with the highest number of missing children was between October and December 2017, with 13 cases of child abandonment.
“If your child has gone missing, please do not wait to report this to the police. The longer you wait, the less likely it is that you will find
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