Join the Children's Hospital Trust in protecting vulnerable children

The Children’s Hospital Trust (CHT) is spreading awareness on their child protection project which aims to protect the rights of children who are victims of abuse.

In recognition of Child Protection Week which started last Thursday May 29 till Thursday June 5, the Trust is shining a spotlight on their child protection project with this year’s theme of Shifting Focus from Abuse to Protection which looks at the urgent need to protect children, not just from abuse, but from the failures that violate child rights. 

The trust started their child protection project 22 months ago, and according to their statistics, 566 child protection cases were reported, which included experiences of children and families who have witnessed or suffered abuse, whether sexual, physical, or psychological, neglect, malnutrition, or violence. 

Through this year’s theme of Shifting Focus from Abuse to Protection, which was released last week, the trust is looking to raise over R250 000 is in support of the Child Protection Unit at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. Extra funding will allow the project to do staff training and address capacity constraints, to develop the online training and compile clinical guidelines and referral pathways for child protection cases.

Dr Fatima Khan, the Child Protection Improvement project coordinator at the children’s hospital says the hospital is only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

“We don’t see the children who are fatally injured or those grazed by a bullet or who have seen a family member killed and must live with the psychological impact of that,” she says.

Dr Khan says many child victims of abuse, neglect, or violence who are brought to the hospital for treatment have to deal with far deeper internal wounds.

“The Child Protection Improvement project, which is an initiative of the Trust, plays a pivotal role in strengthening staffing capacity to identify vulnerable children and implement multidisciplinary care plans, by enhancing child protection services and equipping healthcare professionals with the tools and training needed to identify and manage abuse and neglect,” she says.

Dr Khan says every child receives a tailored plan that includes legal, social, psychological, and medical support.

“The multidisciplinary team works together to ensure that each child and their family are connected to the services they need. The child who lost their family has a safe place to grow, the little girl can face her fears, and the mom regains her confidence,” she says.

The Trust’s CEO, Chantal Cooper said, “Not a day goes by without another story of violent crime, but for thousands of children, this isn’t news; their lives are lived in fear, while countless others suffer in silence. This isn’t just a news story, it is a crisis.”

Ms Cooper is appealing to the public to join the project. “Every child deserves a life free from fear. Every child deserves to be a child. Together, we can build a world where all our children can grow up safe and protected,” she says.

If you would like to support the Trust’s Child Protection Project, visit https://www.childrenshospitaltrust.org.za/donate/ or call 021  658 5111.