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Addressing youth crime: The critical role of social services in South Africa
Between April 2024 and March 2025, official police records show that nearly 273 children under 18 were murdered, averaging almost three deaths every day.
Image: SAPS
South Africa continues to grapple with high levels of violence targeting children and youth, with recent statistics painting a grim picture of the risks facing young people across the country.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, official police records show that nearly 273 children under 18 were murdered, averaging almost three deaths every day.
Additionally, thousands of young victims suffered attempted murders and serious assaults, with girls disproportionately targeted for sexual violence and abuse.
This alarming trend has highlighted the urgent need for effective crime prevention strategies that go beyond law enforcement to address the underlying social and economic conditions that place children at risk.
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Experts from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and civil society groups say social service delivery by the departments of Education, Health, and Social Development is key to preventing youth crime and victimisation.
'Our children are not safe. The systems designed to support and protect them are failing. We cannot police our way out of this crisis; it begins with care, access to services, and restoring dignity,' said Cheryl Franks, a senior researcher at the ISS.
She warned that service delivery gaps across these departments were leaving children exposed to the very conditions that breed violence, poverty, poor schooling, unsafe housing, abuse, and neglect.
'Social crime prevention isn't just about interventions after a crime has happened. It's about disrupting the root causes before they escalate,' she said.
According to the ISS, the Department of Education reaches the largest number of children through public schooling, early childhood development (Grade R), and its primary school nutrition programme. It also houses a school safety sub-directorate and provides HIV/Aids policies and learner support.
The Department of Health offers child and adolescent health services, including mental health support and immunisations.
The Department of Social Development is mandated to provide child protection services, family support, and early intervention for at-risk children.
But Franks noted: 'There is very little coordination across departments, and where services exist, they are under-resourced or poorly monitored.'
In many communities, particularly in the Western Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal, children live in high-risk environments of violence, and access to care is limited.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, over 4,500 children were victims of sexual offences nationwide.
This year marks 49 years since the Soweto Uprising.
Image: File
The majority were girls, with cases often delayed or stalled due to forensic backlogs and police inefficiencies.
Moira Kloppers, spokesperson for Action Society, said their organisation frequently assists children in communities where police presence is minimal and justice is slow.
'There is no real safety net for children. We have cases where young girls wait more than a year for DNA results. These delays retraumatise victims and send a message to perpetrators that they can act with impunity,' Kloppers said.
She believes more targeted government intervention is urgently needed: 'We are calling for specialised gender-based violence units within SAPS, increased investment in forensic labs, and better training of frontline police officers to deal with child victims.'
According to youth crime researcher Dr Simon Howell, from the Centre of Criminology at the University of Cape Town, prevention efforts must also address socio-economic exclusion.
'Youth are disproportionately affected by poverty, unemployment, and broken family structures. These are not just developmental concerns; they are direct risk factors for crime,' Howell explained.
He cited international research showing that risk factors for youth offending and victimisation include family disruption, violence, poor parenting, school dropout, peer pressure, and lack of opportunity.
'You can't separate these from South Africa's inequality. When children are raised in violent homes, attend failing schools, and have no prospects, they are far more likely to engage in high-risk behaviour, or be targeted themselves,' he said.
Howell believes that community-based programmes offering alternatives to gang life, such as sport, skills training, and mentorship, must be prioritised.
'Police may be the frontline, but social services are the foundation,' he said.
Franks echoed this, warning that youth violence must not be treated as a policing issue alone.
'Children need more than protection from crime; they need nurturing, food, safe spaces, and opportunities to grow. Crime prevention must begin with restoring those basic rights,' she said.
