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Chairperson
MECs present this morning
Representatives from Unicef
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

By hosting this conference, the department of social services, arts, culture and sport and indeed the north west province joins the Global Movement for Children. Let me from the onset say: Yes for Children, as a sign of commitment of the department to uphold the rights of children in the province.

The convening of this conference in our province adds impetus to progress made globally to protect the rights and restore the dignity of children. Chairperson, may I remind this august gathering that when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed in 1948, Article 25 spelled out that 'all children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection'. Childhood is, according to the Universal Declaration, entitled to special care and assistance. We are therefore compelled as a democratic country to implement and respect the convention.

Four decades after this proclamation, world leaders gathered in the auspices of the United Nations in 1989 to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is this convention that is used in our jurisprudence and elsewhere that the 'best interests of the child [is] a primary consideration'. We are therefore convening this conference to consider how the provincial government as a whole can best protect and care for the children.

In order to put the convention mentioned earlier into practice, the United Nations convened a World Summit for Children on the 30 September 1990. The summit adopted a declaration that recognised that children of the world are innocent, vulnerable and dependent, as such powers that be should ensure their maximum protection. At that time the summit declared that 40 000 children die from malnutrition and disease including AIDS. Eleven years thereafter, the number has quadrupled.

In September this year, the United Nations' General Assembly will convene a special session on children to commit world leaders to the protection of children.

I have elected to extensively highlight these international events to demonstrate a point that our gathering here today signals not only the commitment of the provincial government to create a caring society for children but also our readiness to join the international community in its quest to build a better world for the most vulnerable in society. More importantly, the first of June marks the International Day of the Child in the international calendar. It is befitting that our country, as part of the international community, joins other democratic nations in celebrating this day. This conference should therefore be located within the global context of protecting the children.

Here at home, the Constitution of the country, within the Bill Rights, recognises that Children's Rights are also Human Rights. The Constitution gives children the right to basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services and social services. It also bestows on children the right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation. In order to put into practice these constitutional pronouncements, the Department of Social Services, Arts, Culture and Sport together with other stakeholders, developed a Protocol for the Multi-disciplinary Management of Child Abuse and Management in 1999.

Chairperson, our Social Assistance and Social Work Programmes are increasingly making serious interventions in building families. In terms of Social Assistance, the Child Support Grant, Disability Grant and Foster Care Grant are budgetary interventions to ensure that children are assisted while being at the most vulnerable stage. For this financial year, government has budgeted R43,445 million that some part of it will be used to assist organisations running children's homes.

The major feature of the Social Work Programmes is to improve the position of women and children from poor communities. Its objective is to preserve and strengthen families. Key among these programmes are Restorative Justice, Special Needs and Child and Family Care. They have been allocated R9,833 million to enable government to intervene in building strong families and thereby respond positively to the growth of children. The convening of this conference serves as another milestone in reaching this objective.

This conference must therefore identify tangible programmes that will address the plight of children in the province. I have to single out the problems faced by girl children or what is normally called the girl child. They live in constant fear of abuses such as rape and similar degrading acts. The resolutions of this conference and the Provincial Plan of Action should therefore be biased to deal with the girl child.

As the Minister of Social Development pointed out last Friday, government is working towards the implementation of a revamped and comprehensive child care legislation. This move will provide a legislative framework for government to radically deal with the plight of children.

Lastly, the theme of this year's child protection week is 'Child Protection is Everybody's Business'. It reminds us as government, business and civil society that we all have a responsibility of creating a conducive environment for the development of children. It emphasises our long held believe that 'my child is your child and your child is my child'. We therefore have to consolidate our partnership of working together to eradicate social ills that negatively affect the children.

I wish this conference well in its deliberations.

Issued by Social Services, Arts, Culture and Sport, North West

28 May 2001