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Early childhood development
Child poverty & inequality
Violence against children
Intersections of VAW & VAC
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wiedaad.slemming@uct.ac.za

Associate Professor Wiedaad Slemming

Director

Research Interests: Maternal and child health and nutrition, early childhood development (ECD), child disability, and health systems strengthening.

Featured publications

GAPS IN SERVICES
SCHOOL VIOLENCE
INTERSECTIONS VAW & VAC
REDUCING CHILD POVERTY
EARLY CHILDHOOD REVIEW 2024
CHILD GRANT GUIDE

Closing the gaps in services that respond to violence against women and children

Closing the Gaps

While women who have experienced intimate partner violence need services to support their recovery, to work through their trauma and to regain their independence, many women arrive to shelters with their children. Those children are likely to have been exposed to or experienced violence. An integrated set of services is required that increases women’s and children’s access to justice, and addresses the needs of both women and children to prevent further victimisation. Little is known about what women and children want from services or how they experience them, especially in rural African communities. The rationale behind this study is to begin to understand how services are delivered in two Eastern Cape communities, and to start a dialogue about what needs to be in place to deliver culturally appropriate services for women and children who have experienced violence.

The English research report is available here, and the isiXhosa summary of the report here. Also read the accompanying publications, research brief one and research brief two.

School violence review

School violence review

Violence against children (VAC) is a significant public health problem. It is estimated that more than a billion children experience violence every year and a significant proportion of that is experienced at schools in the Global South. This systematic scoping review is aimed at analysing the nature of violence prevention interventions in and through schools that are currently underway in the Global South, and draws lessons about what we can learn from them.

Intersections research report

Intersections report

Programmes, research, and policies on VAW and VAC have historically been developed separately, without consideration of the relationship between the two problems. There is an inextricable link between the two, and interventions that focus on these problems in isolation from one other may overlook the common drivers and consequences of VAC and VAW within families and across the lifespan. This research report aims to explore the perceptions of women, men and children regarding VAW and VAC in two communities in South Africa in order to contribute towards developing an understanding of the intersections between VAC and VAW.

Reducing child poverty: A review of child poverty and the value of the Child Support Grant

Reducing Child Poverty

The South African social assistance programme is recognised worldwide for its efficiency and achievements and is widely regarded as the country’s most successful poverty alleviation strategy. The Child Support Grant (CSG) has been especially successful at reaching large numbers of poor children with relative ease and it has the best pro-poor targeting record of all the existing social grants. Its biggest weakness is that the value of the CSG, at R500 per month in 2023, is too small to protect the poorest children from hunger, malnutrition and stunting. Of the 20 million children in South Africa, just over 13 million receive the CSG every month. Yet more than seven million children remain below the food poverty line (FPL), which was R663 per person per month in 2022. In 2020, the Minister of Social Development acknowledged that the CSG amount should be reviewed because it is below the food poverty line. In 2021 the National Department of Social Development commissioned us to conduct the review. Read the full report here, or the summary here. The launch of the review enjoyed extensive media coverage.

Early Childhood Review 2024

Early Childhood Review 2024

The South African Early Childhood Review 2024 presents information on the essential components of the comprehensive package of early childhood development services. The Review includes data and commentary on over 50 carefully selected indicators on the status of children under six, as well as service delivery progress across five domains. The 2024 Review is a joint publication of Ilifa Labantwana, the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town, the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency, the Department of Basic Education, the Grow Great Campaign, and DataDrive2030. View and download the report..

How to apply for a grant for a child that does not have a birth certificate, or if the child’s caregiver does not have an ID

We partnered with the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) to create an easy-to-read guide that explains how to apply for a grant for a child that does not have a birth certificate, or if the child’s caregiver does not have an identity document (ID). The guide was created with the support of the South Africa Social Security Agency (SASSA).

Download the English guide here, and the isiXhosa version here.

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