Bruised children in bruised society

If former President Nelson Mandela's statement that "the true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children", we are in trouble.

Monday heralded the start of Child Protection Week, a campaign now in its 17th year, aimed at ensuring the protection and care of our most vulnerable members of society.

But, tellingly, the shuffling of the campaign at the last minute from May to June to accommodate President Jacob Zuma's new cabinet reveals exactly where children fit into government's priorities.

Almost daily we hear of children, some not even old enough to walk, who are raped and murdered - often by those entrusted to take care of them. Mothers, fathers, uncles, neighbours, family friends and even brothers and sisters are often the perpetrators.

Two horrific incidents in the past few weeks reveal the sick state of some of our families. A Springs father has been charged with child abuse after being accused of enslaving his wife and five children, who may have been tortured, in a "house of horror". Days later an Alexandra, a Johannesburg father was arrested for allegedly locking up his four children in a tiny room for eight years. The eldest was reportedly found chained up.

Like some homes, schools can also be playgrounds of violence. Recent reports reveal how children are beaten, sworn at and raped by their teachers and fellow pupils, with many perpetrators getting off scot-free.

A recent report commissioned by the Centre for Child Law reveals how a 12-year-old boy lost his hearing after a teacher beat him for wearing takkies to school. His friend had his jaw broken for intervening. Other instances include female pupils being hit with a pipe until they agreed to have sex with their teacher.

Like a children's game of spinning carelessly in circles, the repetitive cycle of abuse leaves many of us sick to the stomach.

The officials and departments entrusted with looking after our children sometimes come across as stubborn toddlers who refuse to communicate with each other and point fingers in every direction - anywhere but at themselves.

This was evident in a recent Sunday Times story about the Child Protection Register. Originally punted as a potent weapon in our child protection armoury, the register was branded by experts quoted in the article as "pathetic".

Just over 500 perpetrators have their details entered in the register - less than 3% of the 18000 criminals who have murdered, raped and assaulted children between 2011 and 2013.

The Department of Social Development appears to be buckling under pressure, and the dearth of social workers means we have children living in unregistered places of "safety", where they are at increased risk of sexual, emotional and physical abuse. It also means that many children slip through the cracks.

Nongovernmental organisations are filling in the gaps where they can, but there is only so much they can do. They work long hours, often on a voluntary basis and with limited resources, often fuelled to work harder by the horrors they witness. This week many of these organisations reported that the little state funding they receive is "drying up" and hampering their work. It's the most vulnerable children who ultimately suffer.

Mandela also said: "Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation."

Wearing a green ribbon for Child Protection Week isn't enough. Protecting children should be our priority 365 days a year. Government needs to do its job, but so do we.

In the two cases of children allegedly locked up by their fathers, where were the neighbours and extended family?

In the Alexandra case, neighbours said they had called social workers to investigate, who visited in 2007 but never followed up. It was a neighbour's intervention that eventually led to the children's rescue, but was this not years too late?

We should err on the side of caution if we suspect anything untoward when it comes to children. We need to break the silence and stop looking the other way. If we continuously fail to protect our children, our future will be as bruised, battered and neglected as some of our children.