The City of Cape Town’s Identikidz programme tagged a total of 25 770 children on the past two public holidays, with the ultimate goal of reducing the number of missing children reported during this period, Cape {town} Etc reports.
The programme proved successful as 169 lost children, who had participated in the initiative, were safely reunited with their loved ones.
The Identikidz programme is coordinated by the City’s Community, Arts and Culture Development Department and it is geared towards child safety, specifically as far as beach visits are concerned.
The busiest beaches over Christmas and Boxing Day this were Strandfontein with a total of 3264 visitors, Strand with a total of 3183 and Monwabisi beach with 3005 visitors.
‘The number of children tagged is an indication of how packed the beaches were. It is easy for young children to lose sight of where their family is located and get lost in the crowds. A number of the lost children in the past two days were not tagged. Parents and caregivers can rest assured that their information is confidential and is only used when their child is lost. Help us to keep your little ones safe. With more holidays and good weather coming up, I want to encourage parents and caregivers who visit the beach with small children to find the Identikidz registration desks and get their little ones tagged,’ commented the Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia van der Ross.
Staff at the Identikidz registration desks are obilgated to register children and issue them with an identification tag/wrist band, with the consent of parents or caretakers. The staff is further obliged to assist with the reunification of a lost or displaced child and to further work closely with the provincial Department of Social Development, the City’s enforcement agencies and the South African Police Service to ensure the safety and reunification of a lost or displaced child with their family.
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