According to the National Child Protection Register (NCPR) there were 26,852 cases of child abuse/neglect reported in the period 2024/2025 — up from 23,732 in 2023/24.
Of those 26,852 cases, only 4% resulted in conviction.
Child Protection in South Africa
Thousands of child protection concerns are reported every year. Yet too many families experience delays, inconsistent investigations and a lack of accountability. ChildWatch SA examines what the law requires, what actually happened in documented cases, and what can be learned to improve the system.
Why ChildWatch SA Exists
ChildWatch SA is an independent research and accountability initiative examining how South Africa's child-protection laws, policies, institutions and court processes operate in practice.
The existence of laws and policies does not, by itself, protect children. Effective protection depends on whether concerns are properly reported, evidence is considered, investigations are completed, professional duties are fulfilled and institutions can be held accountable when systems fail.
ChildWatch SA documents developments across the child-protection system, compares legal and professional requirements with their implementation, and makes complex information more accessible to the public.
Our work is intended to promote transparency, strengthen accountability and support evidence-based systemic reform.
Advocacy and services for abused and neglected children — guidance through the child-protection system, pro bono legal advocacy, court watch, professional referrals, research, education and emotional support.
Visit Justice for ChildrenChildWatch SA Accountability Tracker™
Tracking institutional responses, procedural failures and accountability developments in South Africa's child-protection system.
Stay informed about new Accountability Tracker entries
Subscribe to receive email notifications whenever new developments are added to the Children’s Act Accountability Tracker.
Law vs Reality
Comparing what the law requires with what occurred in documented child protection cases.
Every child-protection case should follow the law. Every investigation should follow professional standards. Through documented case analysis, ChildWatch SA compares what should have happened with what actually occurred — supported by evidence.
Reporting Safeguarding Concerns
Where a professional reasonably believes a child is in need of care and protection, the law requires those concerns to be reported to the appropriate authorities promptly and in the prescribed manner, so they can be assessed and acted upon without delay.
Concerns about a child's safety were raised by several individuals over an extended period, yet no formal report was made. Concerns were informally noted, passed between parties, and never escalated for formal assessment or investigation.
When concerns go unreported, risk persists. Children remain in harmful circumstances, opportunities for early intervention are lost, and no one is held to account for the failure to act.
Decisions in the Child's Best Interests
Every decision affecting a child must be made in the child's best interests, based on careful assessment of all relevant information, including documented safeguarding concerns.
Key placement and contact decisions were made without a full assessment and without considering safeguarding concerns that had already been documented by those involved with the child.
Decisions that ignore documented evidence can place children back in harm's way and undermine the very purpose of the child-protection system.
Timely Investigation of Referrals
Once a child-protection report is received, it should be triaged, allocated and investigated within established timeframes, including direct contact with the child and family to assess risk.
A referral sat unallocated for months. No risk assessment was completed, and no practitioner made direct contact with the child before decisions affecting the child's placement were taken.
Delay leaves children unprotected during the very period they are most at risk. It also erodes public confidence in the system's ability to respond when families ask for help.
Latest Research and Accountability Updates
Follow current developments affecting child protection in South Africa, including policy changes, court developments, institutional responses and accountability initiatives.
