Child labour
Tens of thousands of children became labourers on farms or in factories. They got little food, were badly paid and never attended school.

Poor education
The schools in the black areas were very poor. Children had to share small desks and, often, more than sixty children crowded into one room or sat under trees. Black children were not allowed in white children´s schools. The black schools were poorly equipped and had a separate curriculum that prepared them for practical work as labourers for the white people. In 1975 the government spent 42 rand per black student and 644 rand (15 times as much) per white student. 71

No pass meant jail
Black parents had to carry a passport – which they called a Dompas, meaning “a stupid pass” – when they worked in the white areas. If blacks were found without this pass, they would be jailed or sent back to their “black” area, without work.

Parents jailed
The black parents in South Africa were angry at the unjust treatment. They found it impossible to support their children properly. There were few hospitals in the black areas for children who fell ill; schools were bad, housing was poor and there were no recreational facilities for the children. Parents organised them-selves into anti-apartheid groups and protested against the apartheid laws. Thousand of children lost their parents, who were killed or jailed for protesting.
   Thousands of children ended up on the streets because they had no homes. Some formed groups, a sort of families without adults. In desperation many began to steal food and were then jailed for theft.

Protests
The black people’s political organisations, including Mandela´s ANC, were banned. Hundreds of black activists, many of them parents, fled the country and thousands were jailed. Many adults had to live on the run in order to escape the police. Consequently thousands of children were left in the care of grandmothers, while their parents fought against apartheid.
On 16 June 1976, black students protested against apartheid education. Police responded with teargas and live bullets. 13 year-old Hector Pieterson was shot dead. Today, 16 June is a public holiday in South Africa; it honours all young people who lost their lives in the struggle against apartheid.
   The protests continued for 15 years until the end of apartheid. Police and soldiers used violence against the children. During that time, many children were jailed, tortured and killed.