In 2023, we launched a national petition calling on the South African government to recognise pregnancies involving minors as a mandatory reportable child protection incident.
Our concern was simple: every pregnancy involving a child under the age of consent may indicate statutory rape or sexual abuse. Too many cases were being treated solely as health matters, while opportunities to protect children and investigate crimes were being missed.
Thousands of South Africans supported the petition, adding their voices to the call for stronger child protection and greater accountability.
Our advocacy contributed to the national conversation. The Department of Health has since issued a circular reminding healthcare professionals that pregnancies involving girls under the age of 16 must be reported in accordance with Section 110 of the Children's Act, reinforcing their legal duty to report suspected child abuse, neglect and statutory rape.
This is an important victory for child protection—but policy alone is not enough.
Every child deserves to be protected before they become pregnant. That is why we continue to advocate for prevention, public awareness, accountability and stronger community action to end child sexual abuse and underage pregnancies.
We participated in the Purple National Campaign, known as the Purple Movement. This was a viral social media and grassroots initiative in South Africa led by Women for Change to protest gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). It demanded that the government officially declare GBVF a national disaster.
We took the protest to the heart of SOWETO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfGMTFoiygo
https://youtu.be/AwtcPvRy35I?si=LCea2MzT_HrCMW4z
Help us building a new Shelter.
