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Children play at a public park.
Non-profit and community outreach organisation, the Santa Shoebox Project, is calling for Early Childhood Development (ECD) staff to receive more psycho-social training in a bid for them to detect the warning signs of abuse and neglect in the children they care for.
This comes as South Africa observes Child Protection Week from May 25 to June 1.
The Santa Shoebox Project says ECD staff are critical in a child’s early development, and it is only fitting they are well equipped to empower and share the best possible information and tools with them.
CEO Deb Zelezniak says, “There are currently 1.7 million children attending early childhood development centres and they are frequently underestimated; it is simply a drop-off point for working parents. But in essence, these facilities are the first line of defence, it’s run by women caring for other women’s children under hectic circumstances. I feel the area that should be focused on is training of these centres to identify neglect of children in day care centres.”
If you suspect child abuse, neglect, or exploitation, please report it. Let’s build a caring society where every child feels safe and their rights are upheld.#ChildProtection2025 #ChildProtection365 #AWorkingNation@GCISGauteng pic.twitter.com/zL4Z2XEc2n
— GCIS@Ekurhuleni🇿🇦 (@GCIS_Ekurhuleni) May 14, 2025
