Peer-reviewed article
THE ROLE OF CITIES IN ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN SOUTH AFRICA
Rongedzayi Fambasayi, Rejoice Shamiso Katsidzira ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This article examines how city governments in South Africa can play a role in ending violence against children by localizing international law and policy strategies. It argues that cities are best positioned to address child rights violations including sexual exploitation, abuse, trafficking, and child labour through the subsidiarity principle. The work connects global sustainable development goals, particularly SDG 11 on safe cities and SDG 16.2 on ending violence against children, to local government action. The article notes that while scholarship exists on these global goals, there is limited analysis from a child rights perspective on city governments' specific role in violence prevention and child protection.
Key points
- Cities are the level of government closest to people's daily lives and best placed to address child rights violations
- Localization of law and policy to city level can provide normative and powerful legal tools for child protection
- Children's exposure to violence in cities includes sexual exploitation and abuse, trafficking, and child labour
- SDG 11 aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by 2030, with growing urban child populations
- Limited scholarly literature exists on the role of city governments in preventing violence against children from a child rights perspective
Limitations
This document presents a conceptual argument and literature review rather than empirical evidence or evaluation of specific interventions. It does not provide data on the effectiveness of city-level strategies in reducing violence against children in South Africa or elsewhere.
Abstract
The global development agenda acknowledges the role of cities in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing contemporary challenges caused by urbanization. SDG 11 aspires to make “cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” by 2030, even as the global urban population continues to grow exponentially, along with — even more rapidly — the population of children living in cities. Cities are the level of government closest to people’s daily lives, and are best placed to address the numerous challenges and rights violations that children are exposed to, including sexual exploitation and abuse, violence, trafficking, and child labour. SDG 16.2 has the primary aim of ending the “abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against children”. Through the lens of the subsidiarity principle, this article argues that localization to the city level of law and policy strategies that address violence against children can provide normative and powerful legal tools for their protection. Although there is developing scholarly literature on the global aspirations expressed in SDG 11 and SDG 16.2, little has been offered from a child rights perspective on the role of city governments in the prevention of, and protection of children from, violence.