Children make up nearly a third of South Africa's population, yet in municipal planning, they are often invisible. Service standards assume generic adult users, sidelining children's needs despite their centrality to community well-being. This Insight Exchange explored how child-centered data can sharpen planning. Examples from ChildSafe and Cape Town's WATCH project show how existing data can directly improve children's safety. Every year we delay investing in child-centered data systems, municipalities miss opportunities to prevent harm and build resilience.
