Child Trauma Conference 2019

Re-rooting Africa: Africa's Routes to Preventing & Responding to Child Abuse, Violence, & Neglect.

August 18th- 21st 2019 | Cape Town City Hall, Cape Town, South Africa

THE AFRICAN REGIONAL CHILD

TRAUMA

CONFERENCE

SUPPORTED BY:

A WORD FROM

NAJAAT MAALLA M'JID

UN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

A word from our chairperson:

Dr Maria Mabetoa

"It takes the whole African continent to raise a child"

We always say ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child’; when in fact, it takes an entire continent.

Despite health, social and economic challenges Africa has always been known as a continent that takes special care of its children within the warm and strong bonds that are present between children and their caregivers. Children have a universal right to proper care and protection and it is not the responsibility of parents alone to protect children. Child abuse and exploitation of the African child continues to escalate despite measures taken to address it.

This conference will enable us to identify contributory factors that are making our children vulnerable to violence; explore indigenous methods of child care that need to be reclaimed; and work towards improvements in our current approaches to prevent this scourge.

We look forward to forging strong partnerships during our discussions and finding routes to reclaiming the space in which African children will once again feel safe and protected.

WHAT IS THE AFRICAN

CHILD TRAUMA CONFERENCE ABOUT?

Jelly Beanz and their partners invite you to their innovative regional African conference.

In Africa, the majority of children in need of care and protection have limited to no access to child protection services or mental health care, in spite of progressive legislation and pockets of excellence in law enforcement, health and the judicial services.

Delegates from developing and developed countries are invited to join us to reconnect with our African roots regarding child protection and finding the African routes towards ending violence to all our children. This conference aims to gather people who are committed to changing the landscape of child protection in Africa.

There are nine pathways in this conference to guide us towards African solutions to protecting Africa's children:

Preventing violence against children in Africa – going back to our roots
The many faces of intergenerational trauma in Africa
Promoting positive discipline as a strategy to reduce corporal punishment in Africa
The shadow side of the online environment for children: the need to regulate and educate
Poverty and the layers of exploitation of children
African children and armed conflict: from war to gang violence
Prioritising the protection of children marginalised by disabilities
Children affected by sexual violence: interventions for children, families and communities
Multi-faceted approaches to dealing with children in conflict with the law

The collaborative transdisciplinary conference will be tapping into African experience and expertise to:

Showcase research and innovations in preventing and managing child abuse and neglect
Create opportunities for all stake holders and role players in the field of child protection (including social workers, psychologists, medical doctors, policemen, presiding officers of the Criminal, Child Justice and Children’s Courts) and mental health to share experiences and build inter-sectoral collaboration
Offer skills-building workshops in tried and tested interventions relevant to the African context
Create a platform for children and communities, social change activists and advocacy groups to share their personal challenges

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