Chairperson, I thought the Minister would end her speech by saying enough is enough. The icon of our revolution, Nelson Mandela, once said, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." This statement must form the premise of this debate as we engage with the issue of working together to protect our children. It will provide the cornerstone for our endeavours to protect the wellbeing of our children.
Despite a world-renowned Constitution and a legislative overhaul that safeguards children's rights, South Africa still has high levels of violence against women and children. The key issues that must be considered if child protection is to be ensured are child abuse and neglect, child survival, human trafficking, missing children, and parental care and responsibility.
I will focus on children living in especially difficult circumstances and their need to be protected; on the categories of children who are particularly vulnerable to abuse and neglect, and I will attempt to give a brief description of the legislative framework that outlines the rights under which the protection of children in our country is safeguarded.
The South African government has responded to the protection of children in various ways. The South African Constitution contains a number of socioeconomic rights that only apply to children. In terms of section 28(1)(c) every child has the right to basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services and social services. The Constitution also contains the right to life, in section 11, and the right to equality, in section 9.
It further requires the interpretation of rights to consider international law. South Africa is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. It is also a member of the African Union and as such committed itself to implementing the Millennium Development Goals and the New Partnership for Africa's Development. The South African government also has specific laws that protect children from maltreatment, abuse, neglect and degradation that are currently in place, including but not limited to the following. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, Act 32 of 2007, deals with the extension of the definition of rape; consensual sexual acts with certain children; sexual exploitation of children; the National Register for Sex Offenders; human trafficking; medical and counselling services for victims and the compulsory HIV testing of alleged sex offenders.
The Children's Act, Act 38 of 2005, is an overarching piece of legislation that enhances child protection. This Act outlines that decisions should be made in the best interests of a child and that each child has the right to participate in decision-making that affects him or her. The Act also changed majority age from 21 years to 18 years and further obliged government to ensure substantive equality and equal access to social services for children with disabilities and chronic illnesses.
The Act further provides the following: early childhood development programmes; partial and foster care services; prevention and early intervention services for vulnerable children; protection services for abused children; support groups for child-headed households; partial and secure care facilities and adoption.
The Child Justice Act, Act 75 of 2008, deals specifically with children and youth in conflict with the law and was drafted to bring legislation in line with the provisions of the Constitution, particularly those pertaining to children's rights. These include the minimum age of criminal responsibility; assessments for all youth and children awaiting trial; references to the relevant international treaties; the importance of diversion programmes; and access to identification of documents.
Furthermore, our government has identified key departments providing the programmes and services intended to protect children. These fall primarily within the government's social and justice and crime prevention cluster. To this end, I wish to speak briefly about each of the lead departments within these clusters in terms of the policies, programmes and services that are in place and aim to protect children.
The Department of Social Development renders services that give effect to the right to social security and social services, which include child protection services provided to all children in need of care. The Draft Policy Framework and the Strategic Plan on the Prevention and Management of Child Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation was compiled with the aim of reducing the incidence of abuse and neglect and to clarify the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders.
The National Child Protection Register, as prescribed by the Children's Act, records vulnerable children under the age of 18 years who are in need of care and protection.
With regard to Isolabantwana [Eye on the Child], the department funded the SA National Council for Child Welfare to institute a prevention programme in communities to eliminate child abuse and promote child protection. The programme aims to provide a safety net for children within a community where services and support can be provided to children who are at risk on a 24-hour basis and in areas where resources are limited. Furthermore, the department also funds Childline South Africa, a nongovernmental organisation rendering statutory services for the protection of children.
The Department of Health provides services that give effect to the right to health care. In terms of child protection, the department provides preventive and curative health care services. This includes rendering services such as, but not limited to, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, post-exposure prophylaxis to rape victims, antiretroviral treatment and acute medical care to children who have been abused or injured.
The Department of Police is providing services, programmes and projects aimed at crime prevention and combating, at both provincial and station level, with the target of reducing contact crime, particularly against children. I won't go into details here because the Deputy Minister has outlined that very well.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development aims to uphold and protect the Constitution and the rule of law, and to render accessible, fair, speedy and cost-effective administration of justice in the interests of a safer and more secure South Africa. This department has placed crimes against women and children high on its agenda and is prioritising issues such as public communication about services and assistance for victims of crime; services related to maintenance; sexual and domestic violence, and other issues affecting socially vulnerable groups.
In addition to this, and to ensure that child protection is mainstreamed and highlighted, we continue to host Child Protection Week, which runs from 23 May to 1 June every year. This culminates in the celebration of International Children's Day on 1 June every year.
On 1 June 2011 at Soshanguve in Pretoria, Gauteng province, the Department for Women, Children and People with Disabilities launched the Study on Child Killing. This was done to commemorate the Day of the African Child, International Children's Day and Child Protection Week.
In conclusion, despite the legislative framework, interventions and programmes, we continue to see the prevalence of child abuse and murder. This is illustrated by recent SA Police Service statistics that the number of children murdered increased by 14,5%, and attempted murder increased by 42,3%. Specifically, the number of children murdered increased by 122 cases from 843 to 965, and attempted murder cases increased from 782 to 1 113 cases. This is not acceptable. Investigations have revealed that children are murdered by people known to them as well as by strangers.
We therefore have a responsibility to ensure that all children's rights must be protected and not violated. We should use both local and international legislative tools as part of our daily discourse and incorporate an understanding of human rights in all debates and discussions. This discourse should filter through into our oversight function as well by ensuring that issues related to children are investigated through the lens of children's rights. This holistic approach is a significant stepping stone toward achieving the protection of all children. Enough is enough. [Time expired.]