Hon Speaker, it is becoming abundantly clear that our government has its priorities wrong. On the one hand, we have our President handing out "get out of jail free" cards for criminals to reoffend, rape or murder, or, as one of our first ladies allegedly described it, handing out remissions willy-nilly. On the other hand, we see little action taken to prosecute those involved in the alarming increase in child prostitution across our country.
Therefore the IFP questions why intervention is so slow. The police have pinpointed hotspots and there is vast information available on where child prostitution is rife; how it is done and what it involves. It is even known that parents in some cases are accomplices, yet, despite this, our children are on the streets at the mercy of sexual predators. Government has a responsibility to protect and assist these young people. It is, indeed, a crisis.
The contradictions in government's policies and priorities loom large. In its prime responsibility of ensuring the security of its citizenry, especially its women and children, the state is failing us.
The IFP therefore calls upon the Departments of Social Development, Women, Children and People with Disabilities to urgently convene a task team to look at this matter and work in tandem to solve the problem.
Furthermore, we urge the Department of Basic Education to ensure that these children are returned to school. Community members are also urged to become whistle blowers and arrests must be made. I thank you. [Applause.]