Protecting children from violence | Children's Institute

Violence against children in South Africa is pervasive: it occurs across the life course and drives both an increased risk for victimisation and perpetration in adulthood. Violence not only causes physical harm but also psychosocial scars that are often hidden, with debilitating, long-lasting and intergenerational consequences. The Children’s Institute has focused on establishing the nature and causes of violence against children in South Africa.

Our work within this thematic area includes:

Preventing violence in early childhood via the health system
Building an evidence base on the intersections of violence against women (VAW) and against children (VAC)
Supporting advocacy for sustained investment in child protection services
Preventing corporal punishment in the home and at school
Supporting street youth to be resilient

Projects

Explore our research and advocacy within this thematic area

South African Child Gauge®

Flagship project

Intersections of violence against women and violence against children

Child-centred analysis of government’s budgets

Firearms injuries

Children’s Bill project

Latest

Have a look at key developments in this work

Supporting street youth to be resilient

The research project Responsibilities for Resilience Embedded in Street Temporalities (2REST) has produced four new policy briefs related to violence reduction, livelihoods, health and basic needs.

Country report launch: Women Engaged Against Violence Everywhere (WEAVE)

Researchers and activists from South Africa, Australia, India and Nicaragua gathered to launch the WEAVE South Africa country report.

Preventing violence against young children: A scoping review of interventions in low- and middle-income countries

New report: This scoping review aims to map promising programmatic approaches and interventions to prevent violence against children in the early years in low- and middle-income countries.