The Saturday Independent, 7 July 2026: A South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) report has found that sexual violence is deeply entrenched in schools across the country, exposing systemic failures to protect learners despite years of safeguarding laws, policies and repeated warnings.

Shaheda Omar of the Teddy Bear Foundation said the findings confirm what child protection workers have seen for years.

“Schools should represent safe havens where children are free to learn, develop and thrive. Instead, for too many learners, these spaces have become environments of fear, silence and betrayal.”

She said the report exposes weaknesses in safeguarding systems and stressed that educator vetting must be ongoing, not a once-off check.