Crime statistics that say close to 900 children are murdered in South Africa annually could be true when one looks at the rate at which children are abducted in the country.

Some children are abducted for ransom while others are abducted by either of their parents to spite each other, using the innocent children to fight their battles when relationships go sour.

In some cases children are abducted and end up being murdered in a gruesome manner by wicked rings that deal in body parts.

Schools and homes should be the safest places for our children, but not anymore as the threat also comes from the people they may know or are related to. There's no safe place anymore.

Children are so vulnerable and it is so easy to lure them either after school, when they are at home or in the streets where they play.

We all know that children are a gift from God and we are supposed to love and protect them. Children are the future and the world needs them.

Parents should desist from using children as pawns in their fights. Instead, we need to teach our children to become better adults.

Let's not allow the love of money to take over from the love of the children. It's pathetic to note that when some people have financial problems, they decide to abduct children in order to demand a ransom.

It can be a very painful and traumatic experience for any parent to lose a child in this manner. So, I urge all us parents to appreciate the danger lurking out there for our children, and to be on guard at all times to keep them safe.

We need to teach kids not to take things from nor talk to strangers. As much as it it may be my child that's in danger today, tomorrow it may be your child.

However, this should not be tackled on an individual basis, but should be a collaborative responsibility as the old adage says "it takes a community to raise a child".

Godfrey Malibe

Acornhoek