Woman and child look at sign saying Whites only on beach.
Apartheid was legal racism

When Ann Skelton was 13 years old she saw black children protesting against apartheid.
The boy in the picture, Hector Pieterson, was the same age as Ann when he was shot dead by the police. Hector posthumously received The World’s Children’s Honorary Award in year 2000.

Racism started early in South Africa, but in 1948 it was made legal and named apartheid, which means ‘separateness’.

In those days, black and white people were kept separate and blacks faced discrimination and persecution.
South Africa was divided into black and white areas. Millions of black children and their families had to go and live in the `black´areas. The children were left behind while their parents went to find work far away, in the homes, farms and  factories of white people. Many children only saw their parents at Christmas. Black people were arrested if they entered a white area without a permit.
They were not allowed to use the same buses, parks, public toilets, restaurants and countless other services reserved for whites only. When children protested against these inequalities and called for freedom, police and soldiers used violence to silence them.


Related stories
Zinath and friend walking in landscape
No school for Zinathi
Zinathi is a student at Tembani Junior Primary, one of South Africa’s many ‘mud schools’.
Two boys sitting in mud school classroom reading
Ann Skelton talks about her work
“In my final year at high school, I made a speech about inequality.
shaafi
Shaafi fled to another life
Shaafi works extra in a shop owned by another Somali refugee.
Amanda
Meet children from the "mud school"
.
Ann Skelton
Ann Skelton
Ann grew up under the violent Apartheid regime in South Africa.
WORLD'S CHILDRENS PRIZE FOUNDATION

Långgatan 13, 647 30, Mariefred, Sweden
Phone: +46-159-129 00 • info@worldschildrensprize.org

© 2020 World’s Children’s Prize Foundation. All rights reserved. WORLD'S CHILDREN'S PRIZE®, the Foundation's logo, WORLD'S CHILDREN'S PRIZE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD®, WORLD'S CHILDREN'S PARLIAMENT®, WORLD'S CHILDREN'S OMBUDSMAN®, WORLD'S CHILDREN'S PRESS CONFERENCE® and YOU ME EQUAL RIGHTS are service marks of the Foundation.

 
x
x
x