Alarm bells at Children's Bill

2003-10-22 11:59

Cape Town - Child-rights groups are increasingly alarmed at attempts by Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya to fast-track the Children's Bill ahead of next year's election.

The Children's Bill - meant to replace the Child Care Act of 1983 - is a holistic approach to the rights of all children. Among other things, it would have put in place a new child-friendly court system.

Skweyiya is apparently calling for the finalisation of parliament's work on the Children's Bill by February at the latest.

The director of Resources Aimed at the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (Rapcan), Carol Bower, said the minister seemed unaware that the bill in its present form was nothing like the version prepared by the SA Law Reform Commission.

"The bill as it now stands has been mutilated to such an extent that most of the research and consultation on which it was originally based has been ignored and what is left is barely recognisable."

Children's Institute spokesperson Paula Proudlock said the elimination of vital aspects of the bill was short-sighted.

"We can save money by focusing on prevention. You don't need the big machinery of courts and social workers if abuse is cut."

She said the bill originally had included a chapter on child rights.

"Originally, 20 rights were listed; that has now been cut to five. The original chapter took the constitutional rights of the child and expanded and explained them.

"On-the-ground service providers do not know what the rights mean and how to put them into practice."

She said if South Africa's above-average rate of child abuse and child mortality was to be reduced, the root causes of the problem had to be looked at.

The bill now focused on the rights of the child only once he or she had been abused or orphaned and had entered the system.

"The original bill recognised that all children were the responsibility of the state. They did not become state responsibility only once they had been abused or orphaned."

All departments must pull together

A national policy framework mechanism to enable government departments to work together to provide for the needs of children was also removed.

She said children needed interventions from all the departments not just the department of social development.

"Street children need social development to see to their needs for shelters, but then they need access to schools and education.

"Then the education department must come in. If one department fails in its duty, then the whole chain breaks down," said Proudlock.

The bill also originally had a social-security chapter which made provision for a child-support grant to anyone who cared for a child.

She said: "A shoddy Children's Act, at this stage, will amount to a betrayal of the children the minister seeks to help, and it will do him no credit whatsoever."

- SAPA