Police in South African province of KwaZulu-Natal have issued a warning to parents to be on the lookout during the busy festive season, for a child snatching syndicate operating in public spaces.
According to police, the number of children who go missing at this time of the year is usually high.
The 2022 Strategic Organised Crime Risk Assessment report by the South African Police Service (SAPS) notes that KwaZulu-Natal, after Gauteng, has the second highest number of kidnappings of adults and children in the country.
Police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda says, ”We are making an appeal to take parental responsibility of their children. They must never leave their children unattended. We are making this call because we have come to realised that there might be a syndicate out there that targets child.”
He adds, ”In the past few years ,children have been missing more during this time of the year. We are saying to parents be in the know of where your children are at all times. If you are going to the shopping malls make sure that you call them by the hand. Keep them with you always.”
Children’s rights organisation Operation Bobbi Bear, says this time of the year they shelter a high number of children who are victims of abuse.
S’bongisile Ngcobo the child safety officer and trauma counsellor at the organisation says, ”We deal with a lot of case during the festive season. Children are being trafficked, they are being raped. Some parents during this time of the year are usually having fun and less cautious. We always tell parents to ensure that they know where their children are and who are they playing with.”
”We are facing a serious problem. We are going to have a lot of kids coming in at this time. We also go out to police stations and do counselling. there are a lot of kids that need help. police sometimes bring the kids here even social workers also,” she adds.
