Chairperson, I greet all the members of the House, visitors in the gallery, the Deputy President in his absence, the Chief Whip and the two Ministers that are here.
Chairperson, I am not going to speak to the background of International Children's Day because the Minister and the Chairperson spoke very ably to that background.
To me, this is a very important day. It is normally celebrated with discussions and activities related to the well being of children, as we are doing now in this debate. We are looking at child survival; a phenomenon that not only affects the children within South Africa, but globally. It covers a number of issues as alluded to by speakers before me.
The Constitution of our country has enshrined within the Bill of Rights the freedom and security of persons. This right is violated when a child is exposed to violence such as rape, gun violence or domestic violence, to name but a few.
The goal of child protection is to promote and fulfil children's rights to protection from abuse, negligence, exploitation and violence as expressed in our national laws and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights - humanitarian treaties and conventions to which South Africa is a signatory.
The Chairperson alluded to Child Protection Week, but I would like to speak to it because my speech is based mainly on Child Protection Week.
On 21 May 2010, President Jacob Zuma launched Child Protection Week, including the Children's Act. Our President characterised Child Protection Week as a community's commitment to and participation in caring for our children during the World Cup and beyond.
This is a clarion call to go back to the basics which we, as the ANC, are always calling for in building a caring society. The spirit of ubuntu reminds me of a saying that "It takes a village to raise a child, your child is my child".
At this launch, the President said that it would remind parents and caregivers of their responsibility to protect children during the World Cup, given challenges such as child trafficking, which unfortunately sometimes become associated with huge events such as the World Cup.
The aim of this campaign, introduced by the government, is to raise awareness; to educate; to mobilise communities to put children first; and to see that the protection of children begins at home. Our President should be commended for his foresight and being proactive regarding the protection of children. It is commendable that the government is placing children high on its agenda and has prioritised them. Remember, investment in our children today is the best guarantee for equitable and sustainable development tomorrow.
I would like to speak to partnerships, because many speakers who came to the podium spoke to what government should do. I would like to speak about what community members are doing on the ground. In heeding this call, mothers and caregivers within the constituency I come from, the northern area of Port Elizabeth, are very busy within the community to empower, maintain and support children emotionally at both primary and secondary schools.
They also teach parenting skills and address any challenges their children may have at school. Principals and teachers make it very clear to you that they can listen to a child's problem, but they do not have the energy to take it further because of their workload.
These mothers bridge this gap by actually doing counselling at different schools. When community members organise themselves into a collective that takes action, it is important for the government to respond positively with support and resources. It is also wise that the community should be educated on how they could tap into these resources from government.
This group of women - they call themselves "Tahlita Khumi" [Daughter Arise] - work closely with the ANC constituency office in the northern areas. And they know the key challenges facing the teenagers in the community, for example, no maintenance paid, abuse, lack of access to immunisation, no birth certificates and malnutrition.
Without the provision of basic services, health care and access to existing programmes, children's survival is compromised. Therefore, government needs to work in partnership with communities to ensure the effective implementation of the integrated programmes to promote children's survival outcomes and child protection.
Chairperson, recently there has been a focus on child trafficking in the wake of the World Cup. It is of the utmost importance that the community in which the child finds himself or herself is made aware of this scourge because children living in poverty and unemployment are vulnerable to the advances of persons who try to solicit them. Recently, a proactive initiative was facilitated by the ANC parliamentary office in conjunction with these ladies and community members in the northern areas of Port Elizabeth.
This initiative was meant to ensure the protection of children; it was called, "Tips for parents by parents", and included going back to the basics. This was in connection with the trafficking of children. Tips that came up were that children should not trust strangers - like I said, going back to the basics - or accept anything from strangers; parents should monitor children who are allowed access to MxIT or facebook; and children should know their contact details as well as parents' details and other important numbers like the police's.
Quite a number of role-players, including social workers from the Department of Social Development, churches and NGOs have programmes for children during the period of the World Cup within the northern areas, but a requirement was made that those having programmes should get together, pool their resources and have one extensive programme.
Parental involvement in the protection of children is very important. Children as a whole require age appropriate supervision and care to be protected as far as possible from harm or injury. Therefore, parents and caregivers should be equipped with the requisite skills.
During the festive season and holiday periods, children without supervision or with limited supervision are prone to injury, exposed to situations likely to leave them unprotected. In the case of the World Cup, children of school-going age will be at home for an extended period. Therefore, I am making an appeal that certain measures should be put in place to ensure the protection of children.
Chairperson, government has signed and ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, has an integral role in fulfilling the rights outlined in the convention as well as imperatives outlined in the Constitution.
To this end, government departments, as duty bearers have an obligation to fulfil the rights of children. While all departments have a role to play in achieving child survival, I will highlight two departments because there will be other speakers from the different departments.
The Department of Social Development provides children with access to social services and social security. As previously stated, NGOs play an integral role in the provision of these services, hence it is imperative that adequate funding is allocated to these NGOs to improve the lives of children.
The Department of Police had the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units. These units, according to a report of the Minister of Police on 18 March 2010, will be reinstated by 1 June 2010, which is today. Such an initiative will directly impact the protection of children and communities they live in, hence oversight in this regard is crucial.
At local government level, there are still many children who do not have access to clean water, sanitation and electricity. The lack of these basic services leads to preventable childhood diseases, which can be fatal as in the case of diarrhoea.
Whilst it is commendable that we commemorate International Children's Day and uphold Child Protection Week, this awareness-raising and clarion call for action must be pursued 365 days a year. Government, as a duty bearer of children's rights, has an obligation to ensure that adequate funding is allocated to programmes aimed at the protection and wellbeing of children.
In conclusion, I would like to end with two quotes and I would like the members to take note of these quotes. The first quote is from one of our previous presidents, O R Tambo:
A country that does not care for its children has no future.
The second quotation is from another former President, Nelson Mandela:
There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.
These quotes embody the idea that children form part of our communities. They are the assets of today and the leaders of tomorrow. I thank you. [Applause.]