What does the South Africa report establish about raising children?
For raising children in South Africa, Rage 2 Rebuild selects “Education and children’s rights” from Humanists International’s chapter dated 9 September 2019. It describes national institutions or published conditions, not family reactions, emotions or access to an individual service. Check current facts before acting.
Country chapter updated 9 September 2019 · retrieved September 5, 2026. This chapter is more than two years old. Its assessments are not confirmation of current law or a prediction about your circumstances.
Education and children’s rights
The government allows, but does not require, religious education in public schools and prohibits advocating the tenets of a particular religion in public schools.
Family, community and society
The Witchcraft Suppression Act of 1957 criminalizes activities relating to witchcraft and witch-hunting including both claiming a knowledge of witchcraft, and accusing others of practicing witchcraft. In 2007 the South African Pagan Rights Alliance and the Traditional Healers Organisation submitted requests to the South African Law Reform Commission for an investigation into the constitutionality of the act. In 2010 a South African Law Reform Commission project was approved by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development in order to review witchcraft legislation. Older women in communities holding traditional beliefs are most vulnerable to persecution, along with children who are vulnerable to murder through some witchcraft practices, and related abuses.
Constitution and government
The constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly and association. These rights are generally respected in practice.
Report extracts and assessment data are reused/adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Humanists International does not endorse Elder X. Original reflection guidance is identified separately below.
Which South Africa findings should I check before acting?
Rage 2 Rebuild highlights 2 published findings for raising children in South Africa. Our selection connects the 9 September 2019 chapter with school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. Each quote is separate from our practical question. It identifies something to investigate, not a conclusion about your household.
No formal discrimination in education
The source finding concerns education or children. National arrangements and the policy of one school are not interchangeable.
A question to verify: What does the named school currently require, what alternative exists, and who is responsible for the decision?
The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
A favorable published assessment is useful context, but it does not guarantee a particular household, organization or service will be supportive.
A question to verify: What remains to be checked with the actual people or institution involved?
How can I support children while my beliefs change?
For raising children in South Africa, Rage 2 Rebuild suggests this decision: Choose one child-related decision and identify whose rights, duties and preferences matter. The two starting points below address school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. Check consequential facts with appropriate current help; these are reflection prompts, not a certified procedure.
Make questions welcome without recruiting the child
A child can ask why people believe different things without being asked to choose a side between adults. Use language appropriate to their age and understanding. You can say that you are still learning and that people in the family may answer differently.
Investigate the actual school arrangement
Ask about religious instruction, worship, ceremonies, alternatives, notice to parents and any opt-out process at the particular school. A national policy and a classroom practice can differ. Keep a copy of a published policy only where doing so is appropriate for your circumstances.
Read the full general guide for this decision →
Start with your own question →What would help with raising children?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s South Africa reflection tool offers three starting points for raising children. Choose a situation to see a practical question and a country finding to check. Your choice stays in page memory; it is not sent, stored as a plan or used to diagnose you. You can clear it or read without answering.
You can use the guide without choosing an option.
How did religious identity change in South Africa?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s South Africa table shows 5.8% religiously unaffiliated in 2010 and 3.1% in 2020, using Pew’s all-age population estimates. The seven categories describe religious identity, not how many individuals left religion or experienced harm. Rounded population changes cannot predict acceptance, guilt, safety or a support outcome.
| Identity | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian | 84.3% | 85.3% | +1.0 pp |
| Muslim | 1.9% | 1.6% | -0.3 pp |
| Religiously unaffiliated | 5.8% | 3.1% | -2.7 pp |
| Buddhist | Less than 0.1% | Less than 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Hindu | 1.0% | 1.1% | +0.1 pp |
| Jewish | 0.1% | Less than 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Other religions | 6.7% | 8.9% | +2.2 pp |
“Other religions” combines traditions that cannot be analyzed separately here. A “less than” input stays an inequality; a change involving it is not calculated. Rounding and demographic processes matter. Nationality does not establish anyone’s beliefs.
Pew’s original South Africa table, PDF page 18 ↗ · Methods and downloadable calculations
What kind of support does Rage 2 Rebuild offer in South Africa?
Rage 2 Rebuild offers non-urgent personal conversation about raising children in South Africa. There is no payment to send a message and no guaranteed response time. This is remote contact with Elder X, not therapy, legal advice, emergency help or a verified local referral. Choose qualified support when the decision requires it.
For consequential questions involving law, safety, children, health or institutional records, seek the appropriate qualified source and ask about privacy before sharing identifying details. For general stress skills, the World Health Organization’s Doing What Matters guide is an external educational resource; it is not a study of people using this site or proof of a particular recovery result.
What else should I know about raising children in South Africa?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s six answers about raising children in South Africa address school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. The 9 September 2019 chapter’s “Education and children’s rights” passage provides country background. Use these questions to distinguish your next decision, that source’s limits, religious-identity figures and remote contact.
How can I support children while my beliefs change in South Africa?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s starting point for raising children in South Africa is: Choose one child-related decision and identify whose rights, duties and preferences matter. Separate school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions before choosing an action. The country report provides dated context; it does not settle the personal choice. If essential needs or legal consequences are involved, verify the actual situation with appropriate current help.
What does the country report establish about raising children in South Africa?
Rage 2 Rebuild uses “Education and children’s rights” in Humanists International’s South Africa chapter, updated 9 September 2019, to identify a relevant institutional question. The report flags “No formal discrimination in education.” That is dated country context, not a finding about family reactions, emotions or access to an individual service. Check the original passage and current facts before applying it.
Can I infer a school’s policy from the country rating?
No. The rating is a published national assessment and may summarize varied arrangements. Ask the school or responsible authority about its current policy and available alternatives. Rage 2 Rebuild’s South Africa guide addresses school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions; the dated country findings provide context for that distinction, not a prediction about your circumstances.
Should children be told religion is always harmful?
This site does not recommend replacing one compulsory conclusion with another. Children can learn to ask questions, consider evidence and respect people while discussing specific harmful behavior honestly. Rage 2 Rebuild’s South Africa guide addresses school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions; the dated country findings provide context for that distinction, not a prediction about your circumstances.
What do the religious-identity figures for South Africa establish?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s South Africa table shows 5.8% religiously unaffiliated in 2010 and 3.1% in 2020, using Pew’s all-age population estimates. The seven categories describe religious identity, not how many individuals left religion or experienced harm. Rounded population changes cannot predict acceptance, guilt, safety or a support outcome.
Does Rage 2 Rebuild provide local or emergency support in South Africa?
Rage 2 Rebuild offers remote, non-urgent personal conversation about raising children. No local office, clinician or verified referral network in South Africa is claimed. There is no payment to send a message and no guaranteed reply time. For immediate danger, use appropriate emergency help where you are rather than this form.