Chairperson, I would like all members of this House to think back to their last birthday and think of the following: What colour underwear were you wearing on your birthday? At what time and in what sequence did you receive your presents? Who gave you a kiss and shook your hand to wish you a happy birthday?
How many of you can answer all three questions correctly? I don't think many of us can, if any, yet we expect children aged two, three and four years to remember the colour of the underwear they were wearing the day that they were raped. We expect them to remember what time of the day it was and the sequence the rape took place; this, hon members, being a day that was not a happy occasion such as a birthday, but a day they all wish to forget.
I took the liberty of quoting from a speech I delivered in this House on 15 October 2002, a decade ago, in a debate on child abuse. Sadly, I am able to repeat this section of the speech because it still applies today.
In another speech a year earlier, on 14 November 2001, I said, and I quote:
Through history, it had been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph over good.
With those words, members of the government must begin to recognise themselves for they have either failed to act decisively to prevent child abuse, acted indifferently towards the issue by not giving it the priority or budget that it deserves or have assisted through ill- conceived policies to create a state where justice is merely a word. The result, hon Chair and members, is a state of evil.
I said it is a state of evil, because the brutal rape, mutilation and murder of a 17-year-old child is evil; the rape, murder and stuffing of an 18-year-old into a drawer is evil; and the daily reporting of gang rapes of women across our country is evil.
We have witnessed a decade of missed opportunity by this government, which includes several U-turns on policy. The first U-turn came with the dismantling of the specialised police unit, namely the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, FCS unit, which resulted in the obliteration of these centres of excellence. We also witnessed another U- turn in the policy with the closing down of the sexual offences courts.
The DA welcomes the reintroduction of the FCS units and sexual offences courts. We are concerned about the vacuum in as far as details are concerning how and where these sexual offences courts are to be re- established.
Policy experiments, dithering, window-dressing, indecisive action and nonprioritisation of child and woman abuse have resulted in a decade of wasted opportunities. At best, we are exactly where we were ten years ago. I would say that we are in a worse position than where we were ten years ago. This debate is a shame on the government for not doing all that it could and with what it had to protect our children.
The Children's Act is one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation we have and is supposed to ensure that all vulnerable children are protected from harm, either by removing them from danger or through interventions in their homes. In order to reach every vulnerable child, the Act has to be implemented through "foot soldiers" commonly known as social workers.
Hon members, you should be aware that the most comprehensive and costly report - and I have it here in my hand - of any Bill was conducted for the Children's Act and it clearly stipulates that in order to implement the Act properly, not cutting corners or services to children, we would need 66 329 social workers for the Children's Act alone.
Currently, we have a total of 16 740 registered social workers, not all of whom are working with the Children's Act. Some are working with the Older Persons Act, for example, whilst some are with Correctional Services and some are in private practice. Then also, some are registered, but not working at all.
So, if we take all 16 740 registered social workers in the country and assume that they are working with the Children's Act, we are still understaffed by 75% or just under 50 000 social workers for one Act.
It is little wonder that we cannot identify the children that are in need of care and protection. Thousands of children are left to fend for themselves because this House has failed to ensure that the necessary financial resources are allocated to the training and employment of social workers. I remember that the decade of denialism on HIV/Aids resulted in our having over 2 million maternal orphans and 900 000 double orphans in this country.
In addition, the Department of Social Development has failed to develop a comprehensive plan on how we are to achieve the target of 66 000 social workers. It is clear that the luxury presidential jets, new ministerial cars, furniture for Ministers and, of course, Ministers' and presidential safety and comfort take priority over our children's safety.
Where is the Minister of Social Development today? She is in Potchefstroom attending a council meeting. Is it because it is more important than being here, debating child abuse? Where is the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities? She is probably spending more money on furniture.
And where there were bursaries for young people to graduate as social workers, many are not absorbed into the department. One hundred and sixty- one graduates in the Eastern Cape are currently sitting idly at home, twiddling their thumbs, because the department cannot absorb them.
What we need from this government is a strong and unwavering determination through the allocation of resources. The general public is waiting for such a commitment. It is only through our determination as this House that we send a clear and strong message to any would-be child and woman rapist that we will no longer tolerate our children and women being victims. I thank you. [Applause.]