World Children’s Day: CPI SA urges government to ensure every South African child has access to basic children’s rights as set out in Section 28.
South Africa (19 November 2020) – Care Protect Invest South Africa (CPI SA) calls on the South African government to ensure that all children are protected and have access to the basic rights as set out in Section 28 of the South African Constitution. The non-profit organisation celebrates World Children’s Day on 20 November with the hope to raise awareness of children’s rights, their freedom, their circumstances, and most of all to promote the happiness of every child in South Africa.
World Children’s Day is an educational opportunity that aims to support all children from all walks of life to ensure that they are cared for, loved, and protected.
It is our duty to invest in our children who are the future of our country. We urge the government to implement the necessary measures to ensure that all children’s rights are protected in all parts of the country. Section 28 of the South African Constitution provides an important benchmark in the protection of children in South Africa.
The section reads as follows:
(1) Every child has the right-
(a) to a name and a nationality from birth;
(b) to family care or parental care, or to appropriate alternative care when removed from the family environment;
(c) to basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services, and social services;
(d) to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse, or degradation;
(e) to be protected from exploitative labour practices;
(f) not to be required or permitted to perform work or provide services that-
(i) are inappropriate for a person of that child’s age; or
(ii) place at risk the child’s well-being, education, physical or mental
health or spiritual, moral, or social development;
(g) not to be detained except as a measure of last resort, in which case, in
addition to the rights a child enjoys under sections 12 and 35, the child may
be detained only for the shortest appropriate period of time, and has the right
to be-
(i) kept separately from detained persons over the age of 18 years; and
(ii) treated in a manner, and kept in conditions, that take account of the
child’s age;
(h) to have a legal practitioner assigned to the child by the state, and at state
expense, in civil proceedings affecting the child, if substantial injustice
would otherwise result; and
(i) not to be used directly in armed conflict, and to be protected in times of
armed conflict.
(2) A child’s best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child.
(3) In this section ‘child’ means a person under the age of 18 years.
“Unfortunately, there are too many children in South Africa who still do not have access to these basic rights and CPI SA calls on the government to implement task teams to enforce access to all the children’s rights in our constitution through proper channels, and well-planned measures, to take action and protect our children,” says Dinah Bronkhorst, the CEO of CPI SA.
“Looking back at my childhood, I was fortunate enough to enjoy a braai on Saturdays and have roasted chicken and pumpkin for Sunday lunch with my family. I remember playing outside with my dolls and the wonderful feeling of laughing and being carefree. It is deeply saddening that countless children in our country still do not have the privilege to laugh, to be loved, have enough food to eat, and to just be carefree. These children must usually grow up a lot faster than they are supposed to and do not even have the opportunity to enjoy their childhood. Their small world is usually filled with fear, uncertainty, and pain. That is why CPI SA is committed to ensuring a life filled with laughter, love, nutrition, safety, fun and unconditional love to each child we can,” says Bronkhorst.
As part of CPI SA’s effort to raise awareness about children’s rights in South Africa, we ask the public to text the word SMILE to 40112 to donate R20 to CPI SA. This donation will make a huge difference in the lives of the children in our foster homes and care homes. *Each SMS costs R20 and terms and conditions apply.
CPI SA is a non-profit organisation involved in uplifting communities through care initiatives such as food parcel distribution, foster homes, day-care centres, and care homes. CPI SA protects the vulnerable by transforming children’s courts to child-friendly environments, offering counselling and trauma support for sexually abused children, and feeding programs. Its innovative interventions promote education, social and economic development. Please visit https://cpi-sa.org.za/donate/ to see how you can contribute.
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