Whenever there is a focus on promoting good, the exact opposite happens.
It seems there are more stories of women abuse during the 16 days of activism campaign, for example.
Last week we had another terrible example of this.
The day after Child Protection Week started, a bakkie carrying school children crashed on AZ Berman Drive in Mitchells Plain, killing five of them and injuring two others.
They were in the back when the canopy shattered after the driver, Mninikhaya Mvuli, lost control, slamming into a tree and traffic light. It’s so easy to stand in judgement of this man.
But lest we forget, the tragedy is compounded by the fact that one of the victims was his own niece, whom he had been raising as his own child.
There’s a lot to be said about children being transported on the back of a bakkie, especially on a cold and wet morning.
The last time we had an accident of this devastating magnitude was in 2010, when a train hit a minibus taxi at the Buttskop level crossing in Blackheath.
Ten school children lost their lives as a result of that crash.
There have been others over the years, but time has caused us to heal and forget.
However, it is clear that accidents like this will continue to happen sporadically and, of course, we will feel a combination of outrage and sadness.
Then we will carry on with our lives until the next one or, heaven forbid, it affects us personally when our own children are involved.
How are we so OK with this? Mothers and fathers lost their treasures under horrific circumstances. The same mothers and fathers who have no choice, but to leave their children in the care of others, so that they can be on time to come work for us.
I have experienced this in my own life. I had a domestic helper who would come clean my house on Saturdays.
I soon found out that she was a single mother, who would leave her young daughter alone in their shack, while she came to work.
Knowing the dangers this presented and the anxiety she must be feeling, the situation was completely unacceptable to me.
I insisted that she bring her daughter along to come play with my own kids, while she worked. It was a small concession that made a massive difference in her world and cost me nothing beyond a small extra meal that I was happy to provide.
This is not to blow my own horn, but simply to show that a little compassion can go a long way when we set aside money considerations and focus on the humanity of a situation.
Corporations are especially ruthless when it comes to this sort of thing. Some managers and CEOs can’t be bothered about the personal circumstances of their staff. Their only consideration is clocking in on time, revenue and performance.
On the other hand, politicians don’t prioritise something as small as scholar transport.
There are some policies in places, but the effects often result in costly experiences for people who are already struggling to make ends meet.
I often speak about free, equal education for all children. The same should apply to transport and even meals. The long-term benefits for our people and our economy goes without saying, but I fear we are a long way away from such an ideal.
Child Protection Week is aimed at highlighting the rights of children and promoting their safety and well-being.
It’s a national initiative that ends today; the same day that Mvuli is back in court to face five culpable homicide charges.
Like the driver of the Blackheath taxi, Jacob Humphreys, who served eight years in prison, Mvuli will probably end up doing some jail time.
But there will be others desperate to make a living, deciding to transport children desperate to get to school, and whose desperate parents have no other means but to put their trust in them.
We will hope and pray for their safety, but we won’t preemptively demand better conditions, until the next tragedy.
Perhaps it’s a good thing that it happens during Child Protection Week, as it shines an extra spotlight on our collective negligence and apathy.
But if we can’t protect our children during Child Protection Week, then when can we?