All children need a loving home in which they feel secure, loved and respected.
During this 16 Days of Activism for no violence against women and children, SOS Children’s Villages in South Africa urge authorities to also recognise how Gender Based Violence (GBV) is deeply affecting the environment in which children grow and develop, from early childhood to adolescence.
Violence against women and children remains the most widespread and pervasive human rights violation in South Africa. A 2025 UNICEF report indicates that 42% of children have experienced some form of maltreatment, including sexual, physical, and emotional abuse or neglect by a caregiver. Children continue to grapple with unprecedented hardships. Experiencing violence in early childhood, including witnessing it, is linked to a higher risk of becoming a victim or perpetrating violence later in life.
We know that GBV affect the health, well-being and future of the children. It is vital that governments design their responses in a way that protects children’s rights to survival and development, their physical and mental health, nutrition, protection, education, well-being and care, as well as their right to be informed and to be heard.
As a child protection organisation, SOS Children’s Villages cares for children and young people who have experienced abuse. Our caregivers are professionally trained to support their journey to healing and recovery. We also work with psychologists for complex trauma which needs specialised interventions. We continue to advocate, promote and celebrate children's rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.
“At SOS Children’s Villages we offer secure and loving care in a family setting, to children who have lost or are at risk of losing the care of their parents and cannot live with their biological family. We have Child Safeguarding policies and systems in place to ensure that we are able to protect children. We ensure that our daily operations and our programmes for the children and youth do no harm to children in our care. Child Protection is central to everything that we do,” says Kgomotso Loate: Child Safeguarding Officer.
Caring for over 700 children- and youth, SOS Children’s Villages has established policies that uphold the rights of the child. These policies outline behaviours and actions that are unacceptable, they provide guidelines on procedures to be followed, and reporting structures with trained and accredited Child Safeguarding investigators, whose work has resulted in an improved quality of care and improved safety for children in our care.
For more information on our work, and to support our Child Protection efforts, please go to https://www.sossouthafrica.org.za/
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About SOS Children’s Villages
SOS Children’s Villages is an independent, non-governmental organisation that advocates for the rights of South Africa’s marginalised children. We offer loving, family-like care for children and young people who have lost or are at risk of losing parental care. Established in 1984, SOS has eight Children’s Villages and three Social Centres across eight provinces.
Each year our Alternative Care, Family Strengthening and Youth Employability programmes provide life-changing support to children and families across the country.
The Alternative Care model comprises of four principles that include a mother (each child has a caring parent), brothers and sisters (the family ties grow naturally), a house (a secure place to grow up in) and a village (the SOS family is part of the community).
Our Family Strengthening Programme aims to enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their families to grow within a safe family environment. We work in co-operation with local authorities and other service providers to empower families and communities to effectively protect and care for their children.
For more information, go to https://www.sossouthafrica.org.za/
Contact
Seithuto Seakgwa
Seithuto.Seakgwa@sos.org.za
082 575 1114