Deputy Speaker, the abduction of six-year-old Mikayla Rossouw on Sunday night, once again highlighted the constant danger that our children live in, and the desperate need for a national, targeted, intervention strategy such as the Amber Alert System in the United States.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mikayla and her family. According to official government figures, three children are murdered per day in South Africa, and there are practical and affordable steps we all could be taking to protect our children better. By all, I mean government, the private sector and the society at large.
The DA reiterates its proposal that a voluntary partnership between the police and cellphone companies be adopted, using photos and SMS messaging to transmit information about missing children, particularly in the area of the abduction. A similar partnership between the police and broadcasters should be set up, so that radio stations can immediately broadcast all available information as soon as they receive an alert from the police.
Petrol stations and fast-food outlets along major routes should display the photo of the missing child and the alleged abductor; and in large shopping centres and retail stores, procedures should be put in place to immediately alert customers and staff, to a child reported missing. I thank you.