By Khulile Thwala
The latest crime statistics released by the South African Police Service (SAPS) have revealed a horrific tide of violence against children and women in South Africa, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
Christine Muhigana, a UNICEF SA representative, through a press statement, says the latest crime statistics released by the South African Police Service (SAPS) once again depict the bleak reality of everyday life for women and children across the country.
“More than three children and 12 women were murdered daily in South Africa over a 90-day period between October and December 2022. Another 21,434 children and women suffered attempted murder or grievous bodily harm. Recovering from the physical and mental scars of such violence will take years,” said Muhigana.
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“We speak out as a United Nations agency with a child rights advocacy mandate, and we will keep doing so because such high levels of violence against children and women should never be accepted as a norm in society. Words though are not enough. Actions to break this cycle of violence are what’s needed. It’s easy to lose hope looking at the statistics but prevention and early intervention programmes do work. We must learn from their real and everyday examples – this is where hope resides,” articulated the UNICEF rep.
The Minister of South African Police Bheki Cele released the crime statistics last week Friday. The minister conceded that the country’s murder rate increased from the previous quarter, as did the murder of women and children, while the statistics indicated that there was a decrease in cash-in-transit heists and bank robberies.
Cele added that more than 7 555 murders were committed in the last three months of 2022.
