Date: 29/05/2006
Source: Department of Social Development
Title: Skweyiya: Child Protection Week
Address by the Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, Child Protection Week, Alexandra, Johannesburg
MEC for Social Development
Councillors and leaders of the community
Members of the civil society
Community members
Representatives from the media
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is an honour for me to join members of the community of Alex which remains the bedrock for our fight for socio economic rights for the most vulnerable.
Today we mark the first day of Child Protection Week, this will give us an opportunity to reflect on our achievements as a nation. Such reflection will also award us an opportunity to recommit ourselves to working even harder to protect and develop our children, as government, communities and all stakeholders, including Non Governmental Organisation (NGOs) and the religious sector.
In 1994, South Africa ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In so doing, the country committed itself to implement the principle of putting children first. We also have the Constitution, legislation, policies, the African Charter as well as United Nations Conventions to guide us in meeting this important development objective.
Since 1994, Government has introduced a host of policies and programmes to protect children from vulnerability. As a result of these, more than seven million children now receive the Child Support Grant, while more than 330 thousand children receive Foster Care Grants.
We will accelerate delivery in all areas aimed at child protection, as directed by significant pieces of legislation such as the Children and Sexual Offences Bills.
Child Protection
Programme Director, in the past, one of the key challenges had been Government?s limited knowledge of which children have been abused or neglected by which care giver and/or community member. Through the Child Protection Register we anticipate that we will have all this information at our finger tips. This will ensure that policy makers and implementers are enabled to ensure improved service standards, financial planning and human resources allocations. Our ultimate aim is to close gaps in service delivery. To effectively do so families and communities must take responsibility. In recognition of this fact we have selected ?Caring Communities Protect Children?, for this year?s Child Protection Week theme. We therefore encourage increased usage of the register to report incidents of abuse.
To facilitate for the taking up of such responsibilities by communities, an army of community and social workers will be required. Thus we have finalised the Retention Strategy for Social Workers and will soon finalise a similar one for all social service professionals. These steps are aimed at improving the material and working conditions for our social workers and social service professionals.
We will also in the coming years begin to encourage young graduates and matriculants to take up opportunities in this field.
Early childhood Development (ECD)
We will also ensure, as we have already done with Umsobomvu, that our contribution to AsgiSA and the Expanded Public Works Programme, (EPWP), benefits unemployed young people.
Through the EPWP we have already identified such opportunities in the Early Childhood Development and Home and Community Based Care sectors. We will, and have already begun with our attempts to ensure that the numbers of ECD professionals are increased. These efforts will be complemented by the increase of government-subsidised ECD facilities from the current three hundred and thirty thousand and thirty six (330 036). The ECD programme ensures that children are better prepared for formal schooling, and builds their confidence and self-esteem. Let me therefore take this opportunity to salute the staff and volunteers who run this centre, the Child and Family Training and Resource Centre, for having been pioneers in qualitative Early Childhood Development.
Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Programme Director, over the past few years we have witnessed an increase in the numbers of vulnerable children. The ultimate result, in some instances, has been the phenomenon of child headed households.
Since we as a Continent have intertwined destinies, we must develop collective actions so as to impact positively on our own regional and global development. It is with this in mind that South Africa, in July this year, will host a Southern African Development Community (SADC) conference on Orphans and Vulnerable Children in the North West province.
The conference will provide a discussion forum and facilitate for action to substantially improve the lives of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in our region. Once again, I would like to reiterate that this phenomenon, cannot be addressed unless each and every one of us commits to caring for at least one vulnerable child, within or outside our families.
Adoptions
I would therefore also like to take this opportunity to salute those who have opened their hearts and homes to vulnerable children. Since April last year, we have registered two thousand two hundred and fifty six (2256) domestic adoptions, and two hundred and fifty one (251) inter-country adoptions. We trust that many more will come forward to take the opportunity to give needy children a solid foundation in life.
Substance abuse & Children in Conflict with the Law
Our country continues to experience increased levels of substance abuse and child criminality. A worrying trend is that first time substance and drug users are now between the ages of nine and ten. Even more worrying are that criminal offenders are also getting younger.
These signal that we ought to take radical steps which steps must return us back to the basics and ethos of our African culture. We must, on one hand, take collective responsibility for raising children and, on the other hand, strengthen our legislative environment. It is with the latter in mind that we will present the first draft of the Legislation in Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment. The new Legislation will promote greater community involvement and community based services, whilst placing greater emphasis on preventative services. It will also be more sensitive towards the needs of children who are often the victims of unscrupulous drug dealers and pushers.
We will also strengthen our diversion programmes which ensure that instead of processing children through the normal justice system they are placed under specialised diversion programmes. In the last year, approximately 30 000 children have been diverted from the criminal justice system, through agreements with the National Prosecuting Authority, provincial departments of Social Development and NGO?s.
Conclusion
Let me close this address by recalling the statement by former President Nelson Mandela's on the occasion of Democratic South Africa?s first celebration of International Children's Day. On 1st of June 1994, former President Nelson Mandela said:
?I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate the commitment of the South African Government to a comprehensive programme to ensure that children of our country grow up secure in family life, enjoying all the rights and privileges they deserve. . . On this day, we also extend our solidarity with children throughout the world whose lives are ravaged by the scourges of hunger, war and ignorance. We commit ourselves to contribute, to the best of our ability, to the international efforts aimed at resolving these problems.?
As we celebrate this year?s Child Protection Week, I take the opportunity to reiterate in word and deed, these commitments.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
29 May 2006
Source: Department of Social Development
Title: Skweyiya: Child Protection Week
Address by the Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, Child Protection Week, Alexandra, Johannesburg
MEC for Social Development
Councillors and leaders of the community
Members of the civil society
Community members
Representatives from the media
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is an honour for me to join members of the community of Alex which remains the bedrock for our fight for socio economic rights for the most vulnerable.
Today we mark the first day of Child Protection Week, this will give us an opportunity to reflect on our achievements as a nation. Such reflection will also award us an opportunity to recommit ourselves to working even harder to protect and develop our children, as government, communities and all stakeholders, including Non Governmental Organisation (NGOs) and the religious sector.
In 1994, South Africa ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In so doing, the country committed itself to implement the principle of putting children first. We also have the Constitution, legislation, policies, the African Charter as well as United Nations Conventions to guide us in meeting this important development objective.
Since 1994, Government has introduced a host of policies and programmes to protect children from vulnerability. As a result of these, more than seven million children now receive the Child Support Grant, while more than 330 thousand children receive Foster Care Grants.
We will accelerate delivery in all areas aimed at child protection, as directed by significant pieces of legislation such as the Children and Sexual Offences Bills.
Child Protection
Programme Director, in the past, one of the key challenges had been Government?s limited knowledge of which children have been abused or neglected by which care giver and/or community member. Through the Child Protection Register we anticipate that we will have all this information at our finger tips. This will ensure that policy makers and implementers are enabled to ensure improved service standards, financial planning and human resources allocations. Our ultimate aim is to close gaps in service delivery. To effectively do so families and communities must take responsibility. In recognition of this fact we have selected ?Caring Communities Protect Children?, for this year?s Child Protection Week theme. We therefore encourage increased usage of the register to report incidents of abuse.
To facilitate for the taking up of such responsibilities by communities, an army of community and social workers will be required. Thus we have finalised the Retention Strategy for Social Workers and will soon finalise a similar one for all social service professionals. These steps are aimed at improving the material and working conditions for our social workers and social service professionals.
We will also in the coming years begin to encourage young graduates and matriculants to take up opportunities in this field.
Early childhood Development (ECD)
We will also ensure, as we have already done with Umsobomvu, that our contribution to AsgiSA and the Expanded Public Works Programme, (EPWP), benefits unemployed young people.
Through the EPWP we have already identified such opportunities in the Early Childhood Development and Home and Community Based Care sectors. We will, and have already begun with our attempts to ensure that the numbers of ECD professionals are increased. These efforts will be complemented by the increase of government-subsidised ECD facilities from the current three hundred and thirty thousand and thirty six (330 036). The ECD programme ensures that children are better prepared for formal schooling, and builds their confidence and self-esteem. Let me therefore take this opportunity to salute the staff and volunteers who run this centre, the Child and Family Training and Resource Centre, for having been pioneers in qualitative Early Childhood Development.
Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Programme Director, over the past few years we have witnessed an increase in the numbers of vulnerable children. The ultimate result, in some instances, has been the phenomenon of child headed households.
Since we as a Continent have intertwined destinies, we must develop collective actions so as to impact positively on our own regional and global development. It is with this in mind that South Africa, in July this year, will host a Southern African Development Community (SADC) conference on Orphans and Vulnerable Children in the North West province.
The conference will provide a discussion forum and facilitate for action to substantially improve the lives of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children in our region. Once again, I would like to reiterate that this phenomenon, cannot be addressed unless each and every one of us commits to caring for at least one vulnerable child, within or outside our families.
Adoptions
I would therefore also like to take this opportunity to salute those who have opened their hearts and homes to vulnerable children. Since April last year, we have registered two thousand two hundred and fifty six (2256) domestic adoptions, and two hundred and fifty one (251) inter-country adoptions. We trust that many more will come forward to take the opportunity to give needy children a solid foundation in life.
Substance abuse & Children in Conflict with the Law
Our country continues to experience increased levels of substance abuse and child criminality. A worrying trend is that first time substance and drug users are now between the ages of nine and ten. Even more worrying are that criminal offenders are also getting younger.
These signal that we ought to take radical steps which steps must return us back to the basics and ethos of our African culture. We must, on one hand, take collective responsibility for raising children and, on the other hand, strengthen our legislative environment. It is with the latter in mind that we will present the first draft of the Legislation in Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment. The new Legislation will promote greater community involvement and community based services, whilst placing greater emphasis on preventative services. It will also be more sensitive towards the needs of children who are often the victims of unscrupulous drug dealers and pushers.
We will also strengthen our diversion programmes which ensure that instead of processing children through the normal justice system they are placed under specialised diversion programmes. In the last year, approximately 30 000 children have been diverted from the criminal justice system, through agreements with the National Prosecuting Authority, provincial departments of Social Development and NGO?s.
Conclusion
Let me close this address by recalling the statement by former President Nelson Mandela's on the occasion of Democratic South Africa?s first celebration of International Children's Day. On 1st of June 1994, former President Nelson Mandela said:
?I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate the commitment of the South African Government to a comprehensive programme to ensure that children of our country grow up secure in family life, enjoying all the rights and privileges they deserve. . . On this day, we also extend our solidarity with children throughout the world whose lives are ravaged by the scourges of hunger, war and ignorance. We commit ourselves to contribute, to the best of our ability, to the international efforts aimed at resolving these problems.?
As we celebrate this year?s Child Protection Week, I take the opportunity to reiterate in word and deed, these commitments.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
29 May 2006
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