"No child should ever experience the feeling of terror, fear, and Let’s stay united in raising our children right, safe from any harm". - Childinsider.com
Introducing SAPSAC:
The South African Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (SAPSAC) is a multi-professional society established in March 1999 to provide professionals active in the field of child abuse, neglect and exploitation with a forum for the structured and systematic exchange of information, research, practice knowledge and professional experience.
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SAPSAC is a non-political and non-governmental organisation registered as a non-profit organisation. The society promotes multidisciplinary collaboration, professional development, child-centred practice and the sharing of knowledge among professionals who work with children, families, victims, offenders and systems involved in the prevention, identification, investigation, treatment and management of child abuse.
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SAPSAC also supports academic and professional knowledge development through its journal publication, CARSA: Child Abuse Research in South Africa. CARSA provides a platform for journal publications, research, scholarly contributions and practice-informed articles related to child abuse, neglect, exploitation, child protection and children’s rights. SAPSAC members have free access to CARSA as part of their membership.
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SAPSAC provides for membership from a broad range of professional fields, including:
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Legal professions, including attorneys, advocates, prosecutors, magistrates, judges and professionals employed within the South African judicial system
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Medical and health professions, including medical doctors, paediatricians, dentists, forensic medical practitioners, nursing professionals, psychiatrists and allied health practitioners
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Social work, child protection and probation practice
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Psychology, counselling and mental health professions
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Policing, forensic investigation and law enforcement
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Criminology, criminal justice and victimology
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Education, including teachers, school counsellors, school management teams and safeguarding personnel
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Media, communication and child-rights advocacy
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Non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations involved in child protection, family support, trauma services, victim support and safeguarding
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Researchers, academics and students in fields related to child abuse, neglect, exploitation, child protection and children’s rights
2022 in Numbers
Statement by UNICEF South Africa Deputy Representative, Muriel Mafico
243
Children
Murdered
1,670
Children Suffered Bodily Harm
58%
Increase from
2021
​The Aims and Objectives of SAPSAC are to:
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promote high standards and principles to be applied in the field of child abuse;
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promote accurate, effective and appropriate identification, intervention and treatment of abused children;
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promote research, an examination of comparative literature and the exchange of information among professionals involved in the field of child abuse;
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encourage and promote multi-disciplinary professional education on topics of relevance in the field of child abuse;
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promote co-operation and co-ordination among the different professions involved in the field of child abuse and with relevant organisations both nationally and inter-nationally, in furtherance of the foregoing objectives;
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serve as a arepresentational forum within which the needs and concerns of professionals of the various disciplines addressing the problem of child abuse can be articulated also at a national level;
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issue the publication CARSA in furtherance of the foregoing objectives;
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promote effectiveness and well-being of professionals working with abused children