Violence against children is a pervasive problem that affects many children in South Africa.
The first national prevalence study estimates that between 20 – 34 % of children experienced
some form of contact violence before the age of 18. Early intervention and effective service
responses are critical to enable healing and recovery, and to prevent the negative long-term
psychological and behavioural outcomes associated with violence exposure. However, limited
resources and a weak social welfare infrastructure contribute to ineffective service provision
to children and families, leaving children at risk of continued abuse. Thus the opportunities to
prevent violence in the short-term and break the cycle of violence are missed.