Theme: “Let us Protect Children during COVID-19 and Beyond”
Children in South Africa live in a society with a Constitution that has the highest regard for their rights and for the equality and dignity of everyone. Protecting children from violence, exploitation and abuse is not only a basic value but also an obligation clearly set out in Article 28 of the South African Constitution.
Get help
The Department of Social Development has a pilot a 24-hour call centre dedicated to provide support and counselling to victims of gender-based violence:
The toll-free number to call is 0800 428 428 (0800 GBV GBV) to speak to a social worker for assistance and counselling.
Callers can also request a social worker from the Command Centre to contact them by dialling *120*7867# (free) from any cell phone.
Should you wish to donate to help us fight and break the cycles of these vicious atrocities of Human Trafficking and Gender based Violence especially during these perilous times and far into the future, You will be assisting and enabling us to fulfil our mission to Save Lives Through Awareness and Education.
It is a Global Study of Modern Slavery which presents a thoroughly researched, detailed picture of modern-day slavery published by the Minderoo Foundation’s Walk Free Initiative. The 2023 edition gives an assessment of the extent to which countries populations are vulnerable to modern day slavery and human rights are at risk of violation across 160 countries especially during crisis times which the world is experiencing like Covid-19 Pandemic, Climate Change, Armed Conflict, Poverty…
We can Break the Chains of Modern-Day Slavery- It starts with you and me and by being aware and informed of what is happening and the impact thereof in order to take positive steps to eradicate this evil.
#ENDHUMANTRAFFICKING
#ENDMODERNDAYSLAVERY
#PROTECTHUMANRIGHTS
“EVIL PREVAILS WHEN GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING”
Should you wish to donate to help us fight and break the cycles of these vicious atrocities of Human Trafficking and Gender based Violence especially during these perilous times and far into the future, You will be assisting and enabling us to fulfill our mission to Save Lives Through Awareness and Education.
WAVE YOUR WHITE FLAG AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE & FEMOCIDE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
ACT Africa has started White Flag Wednesday, starting 15 March 2023 which we would like the public everywhere globally to participate in by waving a white flag or white clothe against GBVF & Human Trafficking, which has increased sharply especially since Covid-19 lockdown and other disasters ( Ukraine War, Civil Wars, Climate Change – flooding & droughts. Earthquakes, Political upheavel & Instability, Corruption & Greed) which has resulted in Socio- Economic downturn globally and thrown people into desperation to survive and resultantly exposing raw vulnerabilities. This has fuelled and attributed to people falling prey as victims and or perpetrators of GBVF & Human Trafficking.
There is so much violence, hurt and pain which is worsening by the minute. Our children bear the brunt especially of all this and the vicious cycles continue as our children learn all this negativity and dysfunction.
The White Flag representsSURRENDER /TRUCEto STOP THE VIOLENCE and CHOOSE PEACE…
It is up to us to make a positive difference and make the right choices for ourselves and especially our children….Remember, They Are The Future, Let it be Positive, Peaceful & Prosperous…
Should you wish to donate to help us fight and break the cycles of these vicious atrocities of Human Trafficking and Gender based Violence especially during these perilous times and far into the future, You will be assisting and enabling us to fulfill our mission to Save Lives Through Awareness and Education.
So, we know, this crisis situation affects economies negatively because our society is dysfunctional which means us as human beings are dysfunctional too and thus cannot perform optimally in jobs, our businesses and our children at school.
There are a multitude of organisations fighting GBV&F, Human Trafficking and basically crime in general yet we still see the situation worsening. What are we not doing or What are we missing? Is it Governments responsibility entirely to eradicate these evils? Will the most perfect laws implemented change people’s negative mindsets and behaviour which fuel these atrocities? The worsening crime statistics could also mean though that people are breaking the silence by reporting and opening up cases against perpetrators which is good on the other hand and thus the rot is coming to the fore. However, this has to start decreasing not because of lack of reporting but because GBV&F, Human Trafficking and all other forms of crime have truly decreased and has to happen as a matter of extreme urgency.
What are the solutions? Should we as individuals not be doing introspection on our contribution towards this worsening situation and take responsibility and be accountable for our contribution as supposed to blame shifting and pointing the finger elsewhere for solutions? Scary thought right but it is fact…
In the meanwhile, whilst we are all doing introspection, finding solutions and trying to implement them we need to protect ourselves against perpetrators of violence, be it GBV& F, Human Trafficking or any other kind of violence and to do so without us ending up on the wrong side of the law as best as we can.
So, there are a few options like equipping yourself with self-defense skills, obtaining gas guns, pepper spray etc. We will not encourage obtaining a licensed gun which shoots real bullets as we support the Guns Down drive. You can however purchase a security emergency panic device which will provide you with armed security should you need it and we encourage you to invest in yourself and your family’s protection by obtaining a security panic device. ACT Africa in partnership with the Automobile Association promotes the highly rated and recommended Rem-i Amica Device and Emergency Security App – see links below
Please do what you can to keep yourself and your family safe in these very dangerous times we are living in and do whatever you can to prevent and stop GBV&F, Human Trafficking, Kidnapping and all forms of violence from escalating, keeping us hostage and stopping all of us especially our children from leading normal, functional positive and prosperous lives.
“EVIL PREVAILS WHEN GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING”
Should you wish to donate to help us fight and break the cycles of these vicious atrocities of Human Trafficking and Gender based Violence especially during these perilous times and far into the future, You will be assisting and enabling us to fulfill our mission to Save Lives Through Awareness and Education.
Reach out and Read offers reading programs for kids in schools categorized as lower quantile schools in Western Cape, South Africa.
In our program, we focus on kids in the foundation phase, grades 1-3, and age group 7–9 years old.
According to our initial evaluation, 45-55% of kids in classrooms have a reading disability, which means 180 kids need our help per school.
There is a high rate of children struggling to read due to GBV&F, Human Trafficking and Gangsterism – the trauma that children suffer as a result of abuse including sexual molestation, physical assaults, violence, gangsterism, substance abuse and the use of children as human shields.
By providing kids with a safe place where guidance and recognition are given, we assist in preventing and breaking the cycles of GBV&F,Human Trafficking and Gangsterism.
The ability to step inside another’s mind, to feel what they feel and understand their thoughts, seems an insurmountable concept. Adults have a hard time explaining how it works, so imagine how much harder it is for children. In fact, children are not born with the ability to feel empathy. They learn this skill through social interaction with family, their peers, and society in general. Luckily, books can help with that. Research shows that reading fiction puts us in the mind of another person, allows us to experience every challenge, feel every emotion, and triumph over adversities right alongside our favorite characters. This direct immersion in another person’s mind stimulates systems in the brain,and develops the ability to empathize with other human beings.
Reading books enhances social problem-solving
In addition to learning empathy, books provide an endless supply of social interaction examples from which to learn. Scenes full of character dialogue show children effective – and ineffective – ways to handle conflict in a variety of situations. It allows children to experience a range of moods and emotions they aren’t likely to experience in everyday life. Experiencing these emotions in a “safe” environment allows the child to think about how they might react in a similar situation, preparing them for future interactions. This makes their emotional development more well-rounded and mature.
Co-Author: Dirk Greef-Cronje – Director at Reach Out and Read Co-Author: Hilary Leong – Chairperson at Awareness for Child Trafficking Africa (ACT Africa)
ACT Africa’s focus is Prevention of and Breaking the Cycles of GBV&F and Human Trafficking but that does not exclude all other forms of violence. All of these types of violence are increasing at an alarming rate globally and we need to protect ourselves as best as we can and do what we can to prevent becoming victims of these heinous vicious acts of violence.
How Do We Prevent and Protect
So, there are numerous forms of protection like self-defense, pepper sprays, fire-arms (if used responsibly and for the right reason) etc. BUT will not bring you the emergency help should any of the known forms of protection fail you.
Recognising this fact, ACT Africa sought after a security system which would assist with being preventative especially in abusive situations and emergency help is needed.
We discovered the Automobile Association’s (AA) emergency personal security panic button – Rem-i – which provides immediate armed security response to any location in South Africa. The handheld device (which doesn’t require a cellphone to operate) alerts more than 220 armed security providers of your location at the push of a button. The nearest security provider to your location is then immediately dispatched to provide assistance. Another feature of the Rem-i is that it has live tracking functionality so its location can be determined at any time, whether a panic has been activated or not. This is ideal for parents, for instance, who want to know the exact location of their children who are on a trip. Its geo-fencing capability also means a boundary can be set for the device and if that boundary is breached, a message is sent to one of the registered users. The fall over detection ability in the device also sends a panic signal if the wearer falls, or if the device is dropped. The Rem-i is a powerful device aimed at providing maximum peace-of-mind to the user and to those listed as emergency contacts such as parents.
Let’s face it in a life-or-death crisis especially involving violence of any type, there is no time to search for an emergency app on your phone to obtain help and often the last thing on your mind. Immediate help is needed whether you are able to press a panic button or not and your location detected.
So where do you get the Rem-i Amica Device and Emergency Security App from?
Go to ACT Africa’s News section for more information and to purchase the Rem- i Amica Emergency Panic Device for a once off R1999.00 and your monthly Emergency Security App subscription for R35.00
Should you wish to donate to help us fight and break the cycles of these vicious atrocities of Human Trafficking and Gender based Violence especially during these perilous times and far into the future, You will be assisting and enabling us to fulfill our mission to Save Lives Through Awareness and Education.
