South Africans Dissatisfied With Govt Performance On Child Well-Being

18 December 2023
Afrobarometer (Accra)
press release By Stephen Ndoma and Hangala Siachiwena

Poor citizens are particularly likely to say that child abuse and neglect are common problems and that support for vulnerable children is lacking.

Key findings

  • A majority (56%) of South Africans say parents are "sometimes" or "always" justified in using physical force to discipline their children. o Support for the use of physical discipline increases sharply with respondents' experience of lived poverty.
  • About half (49%) of citizens say the use of physical force to discipline children is "somewhat common" or "very common" in their community.
  • Four in 10 South Africans (39%) say child abuse and neglect are common problems in their community, and almost half (46%) say the same about out-of-school children. o Poor citizens are significantly more likely than well-off respondents to report that child abuse/neglect and out-of-school children are frequent problems in their community.
  • More than half of South Africans say resources are available in their community to help abused and neglected children (53%), children with disabilities (55%), and children and adults with mental or emotional problems (52%). o Citizens who are poor and those who have primary education or less are considerably less likely than their better-off and more educated counterparts to report that support services for vulnerable children are available in their community.
  • More than half (51%) of South Africans say the government is doing a "fairly bad" or "very bad" job of protecting and promoting the well-being of vulnerable children.

One-third of South Africa's 60 million people are under age 18 (Hall, 2022). Reflecting the country's legacy of racial, spatial, and social inequalities, almost two-thirds (62%) of these children live in low-income households, with high levels of exposure to poverty, hunger, and health and educational disadvantages (Statistics South Africa, 2020; Makoae, Roberts, & Ward, 2012).

Many also face the threat of violence and abuse. UNICEF reports that from April to June 2022, 243 children in South Africa were killed while 1,670 suffered grievous bodily harm (Petla, 2022). Studies show that one-fourth of South African children experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect (Strydom, Schiller, & Orme, 2021).

While childhood death has declined nationally, non-natural deaths among 5- to 9-year-olds have increased, from 24% of all deaths in 2014 to 39% in 2018 (Statistics South Africa, 2020). Gruesome cases hit the headlines and social media, such as the mutilation-murder of 4-year-old Bokgabo Poo in late 2022 (Petla, 2022) and the sexual assault and grooming of minor children by their foster parents (Mitchley, 2023).

The state's legal arsenal to protect children includes the Domestic Violence Act (1998), the Children's Act (2005), and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act (2007) (Artz et al., 2016). The government also provides income support to vulnerable households; in 2018, 68% of children aged 0-17 years benefited from a child support grant (Statistics South Africa, 2020).

This dispatch reports on a survey module included in the Afrobarometer Round 9 (2021/2023) questionnaire to explore African attitudes and perceptions about child well-being.

In South Africa, findings show that a majority of citizens endorse the use of physical force to discipline children, and about half say the practice is common in their community.

Substantial minorities see child abuse and neglect and out-of-school children as common occurrences in their community.

Slim majorities say that resources are available in their community to help children who are abused or neglected, children with disabilities, and children and adults facing mental or emotional problems, but many disagree.

Poor citizens are particularly likely to endorse the use of physical force, to say that corporal punishment is common, to see child abuse/neglect and out-of-school children as common issues, and to report that support services for vulnerable children are not available in their community.

Overall, fewer than half of South Africans approve of the government's performance in protecting and promoting the well-being of vulnerable children.

Stephen Ndoma Stephen is the assistant survey manager for Southern Africa

Hangala Siachiwena Hangala Siachiwena is a PhD researcher in the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship, and Public Policy in Africa at the University of Cape Town.

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

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