We did indicate in our Budget Speech and the various statements which we have made that, amongst other things, particularly with regard to the efficiencies and the management practices of departments, after having done the 103 out of 158 of the national and provincial departments, we will be done with the pilot phase of local government. We believe that by the beginning of this month we will begin to deal with issues at local government level in all municipalities and actually present the report at the end. Thank you.
Implementation of national plan of action to promote rights of children with disabilities
293. Mrs C Dudley (ACDP) asked the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities:
In what way has her department managed to (a) co-ordinate and (b) monitor the (i) compiling and (ii) implementing of a national plan of action that protects, respects, promotes and fulfils the rights of children with disabilities? NO3494E
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Chairperson, the protection and promotion of the rights of children with disabilities fall within the ambit of all three sectors of the Department for Women, Children and People with Disabilities. Disabled children are children first, and the department has mainstreamed the promotion and protection of the rights of children with disabilities in both our children's rights advocacy and monitoring activities.
Primary caregivers of disabled children tend to be mothers and grandmothers whose rights and opportunities are impacted on significantly in communities where disability carries a stigma. Empowered mothers are able to take informed decisions which are in the best interests of their disabled children. Disabled children require specific interventions and reasonable accommodation measures to ensure that they are able to develop and participate as equal citizens within inclusive and safe environments.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities contain specific clauses to affirm the rights of children with disabilities and ensuring as well as monitoring that these rights are promoted and protected and therefore constitute the core business of this department.
As such, the department has focused, among others, on the following activities: to co-ordinate and monitor the development and implementation of action that protects, respects, promotes and fulfils the rights of children with disabilities; to ensure that the country's second National Plan of Action for Children, as required by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and which is currently being finalised, embraces specific measures required to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities are protected and promoted.
The department has ensured that parents' organisations are represented on fora established to develop and co-ordinate implementation of, for example, the Early Childhood Development Plan of Action. The department has ensured that reasonable accommodation measures have been put in place in all activities implemented to promote child participation, thereby ensuring that children with disabilities have a voice on these platforms created for children to speak out. Examples for the current financial year include Child Protection Week as well as the National Children's Parliament.
The department has completed a draft strategy to monitor children's rights and wellbeing that includes specific indicators pertaining to children with disabilities. The department has focused also on specific areas of vulnerability for children with disabilities, for example, drawing attention to the lack of safe and conducive conditions at a large number of special schools as we are concluding our survey of special schools. The department has engaged with the Departments of Social Development and Basic Education, including provincial counterparts where relevant, on the unsafe conditions of boarding schools attached to some special schools. The department has engaged the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the South African Police Service on the sexual abuse of young girls and boys with intellectual disabilities.
The hon member will find additional information contained in written responses submitted to the House by myself during this year to Questions 93, 94, 727, 1833, 1891 and 2321. In the interest of time, I will not repeat these. These refer to inclusive education ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]