Holidays are a High-Risk Period for Children

Patricia de Lille, the Western Cape Minister for Social Development, has warned parents and guardians across the province that "children are more vulnerable to a number of risks, such as neglect, abuse, abduction and accidents, during holiday periods".

"During the holidays, the daily supervision provided by educational facilities is mostly absent and therefore I urge parents and guardians to never leave children unsupervised," Minister de Lille says.

"Intoxication on alcohol or other drugs severely limits parents' and guardians' ability to adequately supervise their children."

"If you are drunk or high, then you are simply an irresponsible parent and you will be held accountable if anything happens to your child," says de Lille.

"This is an excellent opportunity for parents to spend quality time with their kids. Children are special and that is how we must treat them."

"It is my hope that the weekend will be incident free and that all families will benefit from their time together," de Lille says.

"If you want to report the neglect, abuse or abduction of a child, you can call the Social Development Department's 24-hours-a-day toll-free number, 0800 220 250."