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Child Safety Month 2007 -
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First United Nations Global Road Safety Week 23 – 29 April 2007 (PDF) Click here

Choosing a swimming teacher - a guide for parents Click Here

First Aid for Burns: What to do. Graphically presented.
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Watch That Child! -
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CAPFSA 25th Anniversary - Feedback on 25th Anniversary banquet. more

CAPFSA 25th Anniversary - International Conference held in October 2003. more

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Child cannot protect themselves - they need help

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CAPE TIMES: WEDNESDAY February 16 2006

ERIC ATMORE (Cape Times. Jan nary 30) makes a passionate plea to politicians to meet the social and educational development needs of the city's youngest children and states that commitment to the survival and protection of children is paramount for prosperity in society.

The Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Southern Africa (CAPFSA) wholeheartedly agrees with these arguments, but would like to add another very important issue, often forgotten or neglected.

This is the issue of child trauma. About 20 million of South Africa's inhabitants are children. Accord­ing to the Medical Research Coun­cil, about 3 000 children under the age of 15 years die each year from unnatural causes. The most com­mon causes of childhood deaths are motor vehicle pedestrian fatalities 282°-0; motor vehicle passenger fatalities 7.G%; drowning 139%; burns 13.3°­ International and South African research has shown that children living in low-income settings are more likely to be injured than chil­dren in communities with greater financial resources. Informal set­tlements and townships in South Africa have historically been envi­ronmentally degraded, with inade­quate infrastructure, overcrowding and limited recreational facilities. All of these compromise the health and safety of children.

The impact of childhood injuries are many and include:

• Short term effects: Hospitali­sation of the child is a traumatic event for the child and family. Schoolgoing children are often admitted to hospital for a long peri­od, which has an influence on the child's schoolwork. Working par­ents have to take time off from work to visit, which has consequences for the parent, such is no work, no pay.

• Financial costs: The cost of injuries can be reflected in eco­nomic costs to the individual victim and family, to the medical care sys­tem and to society.

• Long-term effects: Injuries to children may cause permanent dis­ability or disfigurement Burns often result in a changed self-image and long-term psychological damage.

• Loss of manpower: The child, when reaching adulthood, may not be able to function as a productive income-generating person. Contrary to common belief, childhood accidents are not "nat­ ural events" and can be prevented.

The basic components of child accident prevention are:

• Education: This should be tar­geted at specific groups such as par­ents, children, families, community health workers, legislators and many more. However, it is ineffec­tive on its own. Often vulnerable groups, such as the very young, are difficult to reach with education and/or are incapable of imple­menting safe practices.

Older children may be more amenable to school education pro­grammes. Various educational child safety campaigns have been devel­oped to educate the public about safe behaviour and the prevention of childhood injuries. Local organ­isations such as CAPFSA, Paraffin Safety Association, emergency ser­vices and the MRCI have initiated prevention programmes to increase injury awareness and prevention.

• Environmental modification. Environmental modification or changes are required to reduce childhood injuries and deaths. Socio-economic and environmental upliftment in especially low-income communities is essential. Safe hous­ing and improved housing stan­dards, fire-breaks between infor­mal dwellings, access to water etc could all be instrumental in the prevention of childhood injuries.

• Engineering: This involves technological changes that make products safer. Engineering strate­gies frequently offer automatic pro­tection from injury without requir­ing individuals to change their behaviour. Examples are fabric flammability of children's clothing: reflective materials incorporated into child products such as school uniforms; childproof containers for medication, toxic household solu­tions, paraffin and other products.

• Enforcement This attempts to reduce dangerous behaviour through regulation that requires individuals, manufacturers and gov­ernments to comply with certain safety practices. Examples of leg­islation currently in place to protect children from injury include mandatory use of seatbelts, firearms control, South African Bureau of Standards specific mandatory reg­ulation, and specifications for child restraints in motor vehicles.

Politicians will only be able to make a difference once they have secured collaboration of a wide range of disciplines, including healthcare workers, engineers, town planners and others. As long as society does not focus on the pre­ vention of child injuries, we are failing our children; they are inca­ pable of protecting themselves.

Professor Van As is director and Du Toit deputy director of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Southern Africa.