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Today the DA Women’s Network gathers outside Parliament to announce important new steps to crackdown on child maintenance defaulters.

An estimated 9 million children are growing up in South Africa without fathers. From 1996 to 2009, the proportion of living fathers who are absent from their children’s lives increased from 42% to 48%.

The fact that almost half of South Africa’s children grow up without a father is one of the biggest factors contributing to a life of poverty for so many of our young people.

An absent father places children at higher risk of drug and alcohol abuse. They are also more likely to grow up without opportunity and employment.

But today in our country, fathers who don’t pay child maintenance do not face the full might of the law. People who don’t pay their bills have their credit record affected, but child maintenance defaulters don’t.

We believe that fathers who don’t meet their financial obligations to their children should be penalized.

That is why the DA will request Minister Rob Davies to introduce new credit legislation that would crackdown on maintenance defaulters.

We are here today to announce that we would support this new legislation and to call on the Minister to introduce it as a matter of urgency.

The “Blue Sash” is also being launched today as a symbol of commitment to children’s rights.

We believe that all parties in Parliament can agree on new laws aimed at combatting this epidemic in our society.

We believe this legislation should allow for:

• Mechanisms for inter-agency co-operation to locate maintenance defaulters;
• Provisions to “black-list” and limit the credit-worthiness of maintenance defaulters;
• Requirements for institutions such as SARS, UIF, Home Affairs, vehicle licensing, banks and the Deeds Office to enforce payment;
• Means to withhold documents such as driver’s or vehicle licences, passports, ID documents and professional registration until the maintenance backlogs are paid;
• As a last resort, the freezing of bank accounts.

Today we say: enough is enough!

We call on all parties who share our concern for the rights of South Africa’s children to support this legislation should it be tabled in Parliament. If the government fails to do this within a reasonable time period we are also prepared to introduce Private Members legislation ourselves. Together we can crackdown on maintenance defaulters and help contribute to a better life for all our children.

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