A child goes missing every five hours in South Africa.
Missing Children South Africa (MCSA) advises families to implement the following to protect their children:
- Ensure that children know their own names, as well as their guardians’ names and mobile numbers.
- Do not share plans for weekends or holidays on social media platforms.
- Teach children to implement the “buddy system”. Urge them never to go anywhere alone, but to take a friend with them.
- Create an exclusive family password and be sure to pick children up at the prearranged time. If someone else needs to be sent to meet them or pick them up, the person should know the password. Teach children never to go with anyone who doesn’t know the password.
- Teach children where the nearest police station and hospital are, and which areas to avoid.
- Keep a recent photograph of your child with you so that you can be ready in the case of an emergency.
- If a child is suspected to be missing, report it immediately to the nearest police station. There is no waiting period to report a missing person. Do not wait 24 hours to report a missing child.
- When going to shopping malls or crowded places, dress children in brightly coloured clothes to make it easier to spot them. Always accompany children to the bathrooms.
- Do not treat public facilities as a “convenient babysitter”. Do not leave children alone in play areas or public places. Predators are known to look for unsupervised kids.
- When going on a family outing, make a rule that your children must always be able to see you, and you must be able to see them.
- Agree on a designated “meeting place” with older children ahead of time, in case you become separated. Instruct children not to approach just any adult for help, but to wait at the designated meeting spot until you or a family member get there.
MCSA is a non-profit organisation that helps when a child (or adult) goes missing. It has a network of volunteers countrywide and an extensive social media support system. With the help of the South African Police Service, it has a 77% success rate.
MCSA can be contacted via the emergency number 072-647-7464, or reached by visiting the website missingchildren.org.za.
