CHILD SAFETY MONTH 2009

AUGUST 2009 IS CHILD SAFETY MONTH

ACT NOW! “HELP GIVE OUR CHILDREN A SAFER FUTURE ”

August is CHILD SAFETY MONTH, and during this month Childsafe, together with their partner organizations, set out to raise awareness and promote actions that would assist in reducing the unacceptably high rate of childhood injuries and deaths. Most of these injuries are avoidable. As it is winter, this health month will place emphasis on the prevention of the anticipated high numbers of runaway fires with particular emphasis on preventing burns. Childsafe will also promote pedestrian and road safety whilst looking at the developmental stages of children and the types of injuries that they are involved in.

Childsafe, a campaign of the Child Accident Prevention Foundation (CAPFSA) and other stakeholders such as Western Cape Departments of Health, Community Safety-Directorate of Road Safety Management, Social Services Red Cross Society, The Crime, Violence & Injury Lead Programme (CVILP) - Medical Research Council, Fire and Life Safety and the Paraffin Safety Association of Southern Africa are setting out to raise awareness and promote actions that parents and caregivers can take to reduce the chance of children becoming injured, or at the very least, reduce the extent of the injury.

Very young children are naturally curious. Children learn about the world by physically interacting with the things around them. They like to touch, feel, and explore. As a result of these characteristics, they are at high risk for accidents due to choking, drowning, road accidents, poisoning, and fires. In South Africa, trauma/Injury is one of the leading causes of death for children. At the Red Cross Children’s Hospital alone, between 7000 and 8000 children are treated annually in the trauma unit for injuries. Most of these injuries could have been prevented. The most dangerous place where childhood injuries occur are reported to be in and around the home or near roads.

Children under the age of five years are most vulnerable to injuries.

At birth we have to afford/give 100% protection to our children. But over the next five years we have to gradually educate and protect less so that by the age of six years we are giving 10% protection and 90% education to children. The balance between providing adequate protection and allowing the child freedom to explore can best be achieved through the understanding of:

• how the child’s needs and abilities change as she/he develops, and
• how, at different ages, the child is able to internalise and apply the safety education that lays the foundation for further development.
  

In the first five years a parent’s role shifts from PROTECTION TO EDUCATION. Model examples of safe behaviours that children can follow.

We need to modify and maintain a developmentally appropriate safe environment for children where possible.

We as adults, caregivers and parents have to take responsibility and make sure that our children learn, play and grow up in a safe environment without the threat of being hurt.

Various activities will take place here in the Western Cape such as workshops in Khayelitsha and at Red Cross Children’s Hospital, distribution of educational resources during child safety month.

For more Information and safety tips, please visit our website www. ChildSafe.org or contact Pumla Nyakaza
@ tel 021 6855208

Programme For Child Safety Month August 2009