Social development minister Sisisi Tolashe has called for urgent and coordinated national action to protect children from abuse, neglect and exploitation, warning that rising cases of child sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy remain a “national disgrace”.
Speaking at the official launch of Child Protection Month in the eDumbe local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday, Tolashe said: “Today, we meet here to fight a battle of a different kind ... to defend and protect the rights of the most vulnerable in our society, our children, from abuse, neglect and exploitation.”
Tolashe raised concern over increasing reports of child abuse and exploitation, citing national data showing a worrying upward trend.
“Recent data from the quarterly crime statistics and the National Child Protection Register show a worrying upward trend in reported cases of child abuse, neglect and exploitation,” she said.
She added that child sexual exploitation remained particularly alarming, with thousands of cases reported nationally, alongside rising statutory rape cases.
Teenage pregnancy also came under sharp focus, with the minister highlighting that more than 100,000 children and teenagers become pregnant every year.
She revealed that in KwaZulu-Natal alone, 375 cases of pregnancy among children aged 10 to 14 were reported in the third quarter of 2025/26.
While acknowledging improvements in adolescent birth rates, Tolashe said the scale of the problem remained unacceptable.
“South Africa’s adolescent pregnancy rate remains more than five times the global average [and] you will agree with me that this is a national disgrace, and we must work together…to root out this national disgrace,” she said.
Tolashe said the Child Protection Month programme is aimed at mobilising society to address child vulnerability, abuse, neglect and harmful practices, including those linked to cultural and religious settings.
