Childrens Act Amendments

Proposed amendments to CHILDREN’S AMENDMENT BILL OF 2018 will devastate rights of children to permanent alternative care through adoption

[13 June 2019]:  Proposed amendments to the Children’s Amendment Bill of 2018 which propose to make it illegal for anyone to receive fees for professional services rendered or expenses incurred in respect of an adoption have received widespread attention and strong criticism from all quarters of child protection civil society sectors.

The controversial changes were hastily pushed through by the Department of Social Development (DSD) without in-depth consultation with the adoption and child protection sectors and without due consideration of the impact on the vulnerable children the act is intended to protect.  The amendments in their current format will unequivocally scupper the already declining number of adoptable children who find their way to a loving, adoptive family, exacerbating South Africa’s ballooning crisis of abandoned and vulnerable children left to languish in adoption homes. Continue reading “Childrens Act Amendments”

Impilo – Fact Sheet

• Child Welfare SA estimated that more than 3500 babies were abandoned in SA in 2010.
• There are no current statistics detailing the number of children who are abandoned in South Africa on an annual basis, but most child protection organizations believe that the numbers have increased significantly over the past decade.
• It is estimated that about 3500 children are abandoned annually in SA, about 300 per month and the figure only includes survivors.
• Figures compiled in Gauteng show that for every abandoned child found alive, two are found dead.
• 70 per cent of abandonments are unsafe and many babies are never found.
• “A recent Medical Research Council study on child homicide reveals that children in South Africa are at the highest risk of unnatural death in the first six days of life. Research shows that 65 per cent of abandoned children are new-borns, and 90 per cent are under the age of one. Many abandoned babies have already survived a late-term abortion. 52 to 58 per cent of South African abortions (up to 150 000 per annum) are illegal,” NACSA said.
• 65% are new-born.
• 90% are younger than a year.
• 70% of abandonment sites cited are unsafe.
• The number one mentioned site of abandonment is toilets, drains, sewers and gutters.
• This is followed in descending order of mentions:

Continue reading “Impilo – Fact Sheet”

Impilo Child Protection Campaign

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
– Nelson Mandela

It is estimated that 3500 children are abandoned in South Africa every year, approximately 300 per month, this figure only includes survivors. It’s a horrifying and disturbing statistic, but what can we do about it?

Impilo is at the forefront of efforts to address this social crisis through its comprehensive range of child protection and adoption services. To this end, we are embarking on a new campaign to create awareness, increase support and build a dynamic network that will assist these children with the opportunity for a full and productive life. After all, it takes a village…

The campaign will be launched at our media event on 13 June, during child protection month and just before our country celebrates Youth Day and will carry through to Mandela Day and onto Women’s month 2019. (with more details to follow) Continue reading “Impilo Child Protection Campaign”