Guide to Children’s Rights NGOs in South Africa
Wednesday 24 May, 2006 – 11:06
Prioritising Children’s Rights within Development
Numerous children are economically and physically exploited and mistreated. Though the numbers are great and the suffering widespread, children remain marginalised and insecure.
NGOs and development organisations that focus on children arise from the necessity to combat poverty, HIV/AIDS, armed conflict and various other things that are undermining children’s right to security, education and ultimately their childhood.
In May 1992, Molo Songololo, a children’s oriented NGO, hosted a Summit on the Rights of Children in South Africa where the Children’s Charter of South Africa was drawn up. This charter acknowledged that children had not been placed on the agenda of the then existing government and had not been given the attention that they deserve.
Exactly ten years on, in May 2002, the United Nations General Assembly held a special session on children. At this session governments pledged to accelerate progress on child development and reaffirmed that children are entitled to receive comprehensive protection and support.
However, despite the development of human rights legislation and international charters – children are beaten and/or sexually abused by parents, relatives and friends. Children are still cited as being one of the most marginalised groups in most societies. It is an unfortunate and sad reality, but children are still ‘seen and not heard’.
The poverty of the developing world exacerbates the conditions under which children exist.
In South Africa, the situation is very dire. According to children’s NGO, Alliance for Children’s Entitlement to Social Security (ACESS), the infant mortality rate is 45 per 1000 and the rate for under-5’s is 59 per 1000. It is estimated that the under-5 mortality rate will almost double by the year 2010 to 99.5 per 1000 as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Despite a commitment to children’s rights, much still has to be done to fulfil the promises made to children by both Government and the international community. Local Children Rights NGOs are faced with a situation that calls for immediate drastic action to ensure the realisation of child-focused policies that communities abide by.
Welfare organisations play an important role in the child care and protection field, providing a critical safety net for destitute, abused and neglected children. For information about organisations that promote children’s issues within broader welfare programmes, visit the PRODDER NGO and Development Directory.
Common Programme Areas for Children’s Rights NGOs:
– Advocate children’s rights
– Monitor the situation of children
– Provide opportunities for children to express their views and concerns
– Contribute to societal transformation through development programmes
– Develop support services and resources to respond to the survivors of child rights violations
South African NGOs Promoting Children’s Rights:
Related Links:
Related Articles:
Acknowledgement: Picture by Chris Kirchhoff.
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