The Plight of
Missing Children
in South Africa
Article by Insp Gracious Kubayi

Every year different organizations and government structures engage in a national campaign of 16 days of activism with the aim of curbing violence against women and children, they also engage in other national events like Child Protection Week. Awareness campaigns are conducted, road shows are presented and pamphlets are distributed. The question would then be whether we are really winning the battle? Will we one day have a country that is free of fear? Will we eventually be able to send our children to school without fear that they might not come back home?

This year (2005) alone,381 children under the age of 18 were reported missing, with Gauteng and the Western Cape having the highest number of reported cases. This clearly shows the risk our children are exposed to daily.

The National Instruction on missing persons specifically says “A time period before someone can be reported missing or before the police can begin investigating, does not exist”. Failure to implement a national policy at station level can be an indication of a more general failure to respond appropriately to reports of missing persons and in particular, reports involving children.

The Missing Persons Bureau is aware of the pandemic and is in the process of rewriting and updating manuals and to intensify training for the entry-level constables at the college, detective academy, detective learning programme and detective commander’s course. They are also engaging and networking with private service providers and obtaining resources to assist in distribution networks and to speed up the distribution of information on missing children.

At the press conference held in Eldorado Park after the kidnapping and murder of a girl, the MEC for Community Safety in Gauteng also responded by requesting the Provincial Commissioner to review the policy on missing persons with a view to identifying more clearly each step that must be followed in the process of responding to a report on missing children in particular, and to ensure that instructions are properly understood.

However, it is also clear that the issue of protection of children is not just a policing matter. Parental supervision is vital, communities also need to be vigilant. Recent events also demonstrate that educators and school principals have to be more aware and proactive. At present the Department of Community Safety is coordinating a programme with the Department of Education to improve school safety.

Missing children can be categorized according to age groups, for instance children in the age group 0-8 years will not voluntarily run away from home. When a child of six years disappears, it can in most cases be assumed that the child was kidnapped. The 9-12 age group usually run away from home. While children aged between 13 - 17 are mostly those who run away from home, there are also exceptions. Circumstances before the disappearance will play a vital role in both the age groups in determining whether the child ran away or was kidnapped/abducted.

SAPS members’ note

Members must keep in mind that a parent reporting his/her missing child is desperate and full of fear for not knowing whether the child is alive or dead. The successful investigation of any case of a missing person is dependent on taking down correct information and sending it through the Bureau for Missing Persons as soon as possible.

Parents’ note

The most important key to a child’s safety is effective communication with your child. Children who do not feel that they are listened to or who do not think that their needs will be met at home, are more vulnerable.

When you discover your child is missing, report it to your nearest police station immediately. See to it that a SAP 55(a) is completed, sign the indemnity and attach a clear photograph of the missing loved one.