God’s children are not for sale
JUST a disclaimer first: Today’s column is not my usual light and funny kind, simply because there is nothing funny about missing children.
The country is awaiting positive news of six-year-old Saldanha child Joshlin Smith, who is still missing. I will not make a judgement call on whodunit as this is still an ongoing investigation. But this little baby’s disappearance is the catalyst for my column. This story is haunting an entire nation. The title of this column is a pivotal line in the 2003 film The Sound of Freedom, which starred Jim Caviezel. He played Jesus in the Mel Gibson-directed film The Passion of the Christ. In the former film, he plays Tim Ballard, an ex-US government agent who embarks on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Colombia.
Ballard is based on a real character.
It is said that in South Africa a child goes missing every day. Further statistics state that 77% of missing children are found, but sadly, it leaves 23% of the children being either never found, trafficked or found deceased.
The heartache parents undergo is hard to quantify. A recent video from a trouble-torn country brings this subject to a poignant realisation.
A child had been missing and people came to tell the father that the child was found, but sadly deceased. The father broke out in tears.
However, note this, based on what he said to them: The tears were not only due to grief, but he was also relieved that he now knew where his precious child was. Most do not receive that kind of closure.
Child trafficking has got to be the most vile business, for want of a better word. It is literally an international problem. It is said that a single child can be sold five times in a single day. The hand of the devil is definitely steering the tiller of this nefarious industry.
Unfortunately, South Africa does not have adequate penal codes that specifically outline human trafficking. The good news is it is being worked on and hopefully soon we will join the worldwide fight against this abhorrent practice. Because of the lack of data, it is difficult to gauge the incidence of human trafficking in order to take adequate measures against it.
It is urgent because South Africa is a prime destination for trafficking people within Africa as a whole. It appears to be an easy transit country to traffic people to places like Europe and North America.
This column space is not adequate to deal with all aspects of missing children, so let’s cut to the chase and be pro-active.
Be alert and aware of our children and their associates and activities.
A few helpful tips for parents:
Train your children to understand that even people they are acquainted with can try to harm them. Encourage them to inform you if a family friend or relative makes them feel bad or uncomfortable. No one is ever allowed to touch their bodies.
Know where your children are at all times, whom they are with and what they are wearing. Always have a recent photograph of your child, so that it will be available in case of an emergency. Make an effort to get to know your children’s friends. Know their names, addresses and contact numbers. Get involved in your child’s life and develop a trusting relationship.
Teach your children the rules on what is okay, and what is not and have the courage to take action if they feel someone is trying to take advantage of them. Train them not to walk away with anyone but their parents or a designated person appointed to take care of them. Parents with special needs children should get them bracelets with emergency contact numbers engraved on them.
Enforce “Stranger Danger” in your children. A great tip is to instil in your child the understanding that an adult never needs anything from a child – not to help find a lost puppy, not to buy them an ice cream – not for anything. Create an exclusive family password that can be used on the odd occasion when you send someone to pick up your child from school, etc. If the person does not give the correct password, they must not go along with them.
Finally, the experts advise not to wait 24 hours to report a missing child. The first 24 hours are crucial.
Be safe out there and more important, make sure your little ones are safe. You owe it to them.