Operation Bobbi Bear, Durban, South Africa
Bobbi Bear is a community-based response to a complex set of issues that undermine children’s rights and deprives them of their dignity.
Visionary Jackie Branfield created Operation Bobbi Bear over 24 years ago to rescue and uphold the rights of sexually abused children in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa. Using a cuddly colored Teddy Bear to help the victims draw on it what they experienced changed the level of trauma that they had to go through to describe horrific incidents that they had no words for. The bear is a non-threatening way to communicate the details, crossing all language barriers. It provides the criminal justice system with evidential support of the actual events and enables Bobbi Bear to get the child the treatment and justice they need.AIDS interventions.
Bobbi Bear reaches around 4,000 children per month as part of their school outreach program and the weekly community meetings at The Illovo tree help women/mothers with essential needs as well as a counseling sounding board.
Bobbi Bear has bought immense relief to so many children and we believe their intuitive and sensitive model should be initiated all over the world.
Child sexual abuse is hardly discussed though almost everyone has received unwanted sexual advances or worse as children. We need to bring this issue into the open and help kids survive it. Will you help us?