Education
With regard to child pregnancy cases at schools:
(a) How many cases of suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse, were
reported to his Department in terms of section 110(1) of the Children’s Act, 2005
(Act 38 of 2005), in (i) 2020/21, (ii) 2021/22, (iii) 2022/23, (iv) 2023/24 and
(v) 2024/25 and (b)(i) how many cases of suspected child abuse, including
sexual abuse, were reported otherwise in the same period as in (a) above and
(ii) what are the relevant details of each case?
My department has informed me of the following:
(a) In terms of the department’s Abuse No More Protocol:
“child abuse” means any form of harm or ill-treatment deliberately inflicted on
a child and includes –
(a) assaulting a child or inflicting any other form of deliberate injury to a child;
(b) sexually abusing a child or allowing a child to be sexually abused;
(c) bullying by another child;
(d) a labour practice that exploits a child; or
(e) exposing or subjecting a child to behaviour that may harm the child
psychologically or emotionally;
In terms of the same protocol, when a staff member is the first person to whom
a child discloses abuse, a Form 22 is completed and sent to Department of
Social Development (DSD) or the designated child protection organisation for
investigation.
The number of Form 22s that were completed and submitted to the
Department during the following years (please note that this includes child
abuse of a sexual nature, as well as other abuse such as bullying and assault):
2
Nature of cases 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Form 22 cases 694 1 776 2 828 2 874 2 140 3 252
(b) (i) All cases of abuse are reported according to the Abuse No More
protocol.
(ii) Details of all cases are protected by the Protection of Personal
Information Act (POPIA)
