What to do when your child goes missing

10 September 2018 7:32 AM

Do you know what to do if a child goes missing?

In trying to engage with law enforcement authorities in reporting your child missing, what has your experience been like, weather it is a child list for a few hours at a mall or for a long period of time?

According to Africa Check, a child goes missing in South Africa every nine hours.

READ:Police ill-equipped to deal with missing children with special needs

The Unisa criminologist and former Hawks organized crime investigator Marcel van der Watt revealed worrying figures of about 16, 000 children having disappeared in the past 18 years, with more than 4000 never having been found.

National Head of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit at Saps Major-General Bafana Linda says the first line of defence in child protection is within the family.

When the matters are reported to the police, it is when the family have already lost sight of the child. Which makes it also difficult for the police to trace the children.
— Major-General Bafana Linda, National Head of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit at Saps

Hence we are saying that we need to partner in looking for the children together with the family which we are doing as the Saps.
— Major-General Bafana Linda, National Head of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit at Saps

He adds that once children are left unsupervised there is an opportunity for children to get lost. That is why a partnership with the family is imperative.

Listen below to the full interview:

This article first appeared on 702 : What to do when your child goes missing

Written by: Matshepo Sehloho