Violence in the home is the greatest threat facing children in South Africa.
As the country observes Child Protection Week between 30 May and 6 June, experts say perpetrators of violence against children are often known to the victim.
“The idea of teaching children about stranger danger doesn’t work,” said Prof Shanaaz Mathews, director of the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town.
Mathews was part of a team of researchers that conducted the “Birth to Twenty” study which followed about 2,000 children in Gauteng, born in 1990, for close to 30 years. Findings showed that 99% of the children had either experienced or been exposed to violence.