Child Protection Month puts children’s safety in the spotlight, but for Child Guardian Unit SA, the crisis is not limited to one month or one awareness week.
Gareth Edwards speaks to Delani Hollhumer, CEO and co-founder of Child Guardian Unit SA, about the children falling through the cracks and the communities trying to catch them. Delani describes a growing crisis shaped by poverty, addiction, child-led homes, generational trauma and families under extreme pressure.
The conversation asks a practical question many South Africans may face: what do you do when you suspect a child is being neglected, abused or abandoned?
Delani explains why people often hesitate because they do not know who to call or what evidence they need. She outlines how concerns can be reported through the police, the Department of Social Development, welfare structures and organisations like Child Guardian Unit SA, especially when a neighbour, teacher, family member or friend sees signs that something is wrong.
Gareth and Delani also explore what happens during emergency removals, why places of safety matter, and how trained safe adults can help reduce trauma for children during moments of crisis.
This is a conversation about responsibility. Not only government responsibility. Not only institutional responsibility. Community responsibility.
Because when children are unsafe, waiting for someone else to act can be its own kind of failure.
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