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Tackling child abuse online

22 October 2004

A website developed to find ways for South Africans to help prevent, manage and minimise the impact of child abuse recently celebrated its second anniversary.

The Volunteer Child Network offers volunteers in the fight against child abuse access to a range of information, including contact details of organisations that are active in preventing and reducing child abuse.

According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the database of participating organisations has grown from 150 at the time of the launch in 2002 to over 500.

People who wish to volunteer their services can log onto the site to look up their preferred organisation.

"The website facilitates the matching of skills and preferences of volunteers to the specific needs of organisations that recruit, train, manage or deploy such volunteers", the CSIR's Crime Prevention Centre, a partner in the initiative, said in a statement.

Other partners include the Office on the Rights of the Child in the Presidency; the sexual offences and community affairs office of the National Prosecuting Authority; the Department of Justice and the Department of Social Development.

The Network was formed in 2001 after a series of seminars involving government, NGOs and civil society.

Source: BuaNews