I am speaking on behalf of the province, but the DA is the government there.
South Africa has a Constitution that relates really well to women's rights and gender equality. This Ministry has a mandate to address issues such as the empowerment of women, the challenges and the needs of people with disabilities and the continuing scourge of violence against women and children.
The responsibility of ensuring that South Africa complies with the protocols on gender, child rights and disability is also situated within this Ministry. Under the leadership of Premier Helen Zille, the Western Cape government has taken real action to address the problem of maintenance defaulters.
During the campaign in 2010, notable successes were achieved in the Western Cape in the child maintenance campaign during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children period. During that period 71 defaulters were found and 59 arrests were made.
About 210 women were traced who did not collect money that was owed to them. In addition to these successes, the campaign also generated awareness and became an incentive for men to pay maintenance.
In terms of the campaign, our plan is to roll this out on a long-term basis so that it continues to benefit women and children in the province. Premier Helen Zille wrote to the national Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development at the beginning of this year regarding this matter, but she has not yet received any feedback. We will appreciate it if the Minister attends to that.
The premier stated in her 2011-12 Budget Vote speech that her office had received many reports from women who stated that their children's fathers had started paying maintenance again for fear of being tracked down and named in the campaign.
The purpose of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign is to communicate the message that parents have a responsibility to their children. In order for children to have all the opportunities in life, and for them to succeed, there must be adequate financial support.
Women face many obstacles and challenges in South African society, and issues such as poverty, unemployment, reducing HIV infection rates and the transmission of HIV from mother to child, are some of the ills that render women vulnerable and marginalised.
Teenage pregnancy is one of the huge problems that impacts on the advancement of women in society today. The effect of teenage pregnancy is even harsher when the young female is living in poverty, and when the child is conceived outside a loving and stable relationship with the father.
It is for this reason that a more inclusive approach to addressing this problem is needed. Teenage pregnancy is not just a female issue or problem. Men must be part of the discussion to find ways to address these problems and come up with solutions to alleviate the circumstances under which the mother and father might be living, and in which the child is to be raised.
It is with this problem in mind that the Department of the Premier in the Western Cape has started with the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention project, as part of the human rights support. This project focuses on young people and their parents to empower them in preventing teenage pregnancies in our communities. This project also involves dialogue with young women and boys in order to create awareness. Sorry for that, Chairperson.
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon member, it is a restricted area. Please, if someone else has forgotten to switch off their phones, please do so now.