Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
09 July 2023 | 20:50 CAT

The University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute has released its annual South African Child Gauge. It aims to report on and monitor the situation of children in South Africa, particularly the realisation of their rights. The publication focuses on a different theme each year and strives to highlight the rights of South African children.

The South African Child Gauge provides a mechanism for tracking progress towards realising children’s rights in South Africa. Since 2005, the University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute has published an annual report, the South African Child Gauge.

Researcher Lori Lake spoke to Radio Islam International. She said the Child Gauge is a powerful tool for harnessing all the expertise within the University and making that knowledge accessible in a useful way for decision-makers in both government and civil society.

Each year, the focus shifts to a different dimension of children’s lives. The research has looked at health, poverty, violence against children, early childhood development, youth, and the transition into adulthood.

The sixteenth issue of the South African Child Gauge focuses on child and adolescent mental health and how early experiences of adversity ripple out across the life course and generations at great cost to individuals and society. It calls on South African society to put children at the centre of all policies to protect children from harm, build their capacity to cope with stress and adversity and provide them with opportunities to thrive.

Mental health is multi-faceted. It enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. When people face social and economic adversity, their risk of developing mental illness increases if they don’t have the support that could protect them.

Data on the exact burden of child and adolescent mental disorders in South Africa is limited. But many children fail to thrive due to widespread violence, discrimination and poverty.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Moulana Ahmed Waja.