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South Africa: Save the Children calls for greater protection of children as violence spreads
Pretoria, South Africa, 13 July 2021: Save the Children is gravely concerned about the safety of children during the civil unrest in South Africa following the reported killing of a 15-year-old boy in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, among the protesters. 

Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) is dismayed to learn of the incident in which an Eastern Cape mother allegedly sold her newborn twins for R50 a day to support a drug addiction. As this case was brought to the attention of authorities through a tip-off, SCSA also applauds the community for its awareness and action.

April 30 marks the International Day of Action to End All Corporal Punishment of Children. As part of building global momentum to end all forms of violence against children (as captured in Sustainable Development Goal 16.2), Save the Children South Africa (SCSA), alongside the End Violence Global Partnership, is encouraging individuals, government, and organisations to commit to ending corporal punishment against children. 
In South Africa, corporal punishment is already prohibited by law both in the school and home settings. However, it is still practiced in some of our schools and homes. 

Save the Children South Africa (SCSA) calls on the Department of Basic Education to take tough action against the Principal of the Mbilwi Secondary School in Sibasa, Limpopo. Preliminary findings of the South African Human Rights Commission, have revealed that he failed to take appropriate action after the family of the late Lufuno Mavhanga alerted him to the bullying incident.

Save the Children South Africa’s CEO Steve Miller has been appointed as a member of the Executive Committee of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children. The Global Partnership and Fund to End Violence Against Children were launched in July 2016 by the UN Secretary-General. The Partnership is the only global entity focused solely on Sustainable Development Goal 16.2: ending all forms of violence against children (VAC) by 2030. 

Children as young as 11 are being beheaded in the Mozambique province of Cabo Delgado, Save the Children said, as conflict continues to displace thousands. The agency recently spoke to displaced families who reported horrifying scenes of murder and grief and the loss of loved ones.