International humanitarian aid organisation Save the Children is horrified at SA’s latest crime statistics released by police minister Bheki Cele on Friday.

The new figures show murder shot up by 9% in the last three months of last year, and 352 children were killed.

“We are appalled by these figures. They strike to the heart of every parent, every citizen. We are horrified by the senseless killing of children and the increase in attempted murders of children,” said Save the Children CEO Steve Miller.

The organisation is calling on the government to take drastic measures to create a safer environment for children. 

Violence against children in SA surged in late 2021 with a 30% jump in attempted murders. Figures for October until the end of December showed 394 children were victims of attempted murders while the number of children killed dropped 5.6% from a year ago.

In total, 6,859 people were murdered, according to the latest police data. 

“All of the children that were killed were robbed of the chance to life and robbed of their futures. They have left grieving family and loved ones. One child murdered is one child too many,” Miller said. 

“Violence against children must not, cannot be tolerated. We need to work towards ensuring that no children are murdered in our country in the coming year. A 5.6% decline is not good enough.”

In SA, Save the Children implements programmes to protect children at risk from violence and abuse.

This includes leading lobbying efforts against corporal punishment in the home; implementing targeted and effective programmes to prevent and respond to violence against children; and supporting innovative models for addressing the root causes of violence.

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