It takes a village to raise a child

Tuesday, 01 September 2009 10:50

This well-known Xhosa phrase expresses a sentiment that can be understood universally – we are all responsible for our society’s children, for they are our future. Within this philosophy it is recognised that children must be nurtured, not only by their parents but by the community as a whole. Children are naturally among the most vulnerable members of society, depending on others for care and protection. Their parents and families, or the state when these fail – shoulder this responsibility, as does the education, political and social system. No child should suffer, be mistreated or denied his/her basic needs and rights, yet sadly millions do. The term “orphans and vulnerable children” (OVC) is used to describe children judged to be vulnerable and at risk, including those affected by poverty, conflict and HIV/AIDS. It has replaced terms such as “AIDS orphan”, which erroneously implies that children orphaned by AIDS are themselves HIV positive. We are also called to open the term “orphan” to not only describe a child whose mother or both parents had died, but also paternal orphans. Strong foundations in policy In every country, a strong foundation of law and policy must form the basis for effective care of children. With the birth of South Africa’s post-apartheid Constitution in 1995, came the inclusion of Section 28 of the Bill of Rights – a special section on the rights of the child. This was an important development for South African children, recognising that children’s rights are a priority and that “a child’s best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child”. Furthermore, South Africa adheres to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. These are the main human rights instruments that are relevant to the OVC crisis in Africa. Of course, such important statutes are nothing more than pieces of paper, if the values they hold are not properly implemented. In a country such as South Africa, where colonial and apartheid legacy and social and economic divides form dark chasms between sectors of society, action and follow-through of our Constitution remains a problem. Millions of children remain vulnerable, isolated, mistreated and are denied their basic rights. Patrick Solomon, director of Molo Songololo, a South African children’s advocacy group, agrees South Africa has good child rights legislation and police frameworks, but says “its scorecard with implementing and realising the rights of the child is not good… this is evident with the number of children living on the streets, in informal settlements, and in overcrowded impoverish conditions”. Many of these political, economic and social problems experienced in South Africa are experienced elsewhere in Africa. The countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have come together with a common agenda of eradicating poverty and addressing key issues such as the high rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence and high number of OVC. Orphan populations in the SADC region account for roughly 50% of the cumulative total of Africa’s orphans. The crisis of OVC is therefore one of the greatest challenges facing the SADC region. In 2004, UNAIDS estimated that of the roughly 2.2 million orphaned children, nearly half were estimated to have lost parents as a result of AIDS. It is thus clear that in order to address the issue of OVC, there must be a focus on and a firm approach towards combating HIV/AIDS. The role of HIV/ AIDS The SADC region is the epicentre of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Networking AIDS Community of South Africa (Nacosa) estimates that 40.3 million people around the world were living with HIV in 2006 and more than 60% of those live in sub-Saharan Africa. About 52% of all women living with HIV/AIDS globally reside in the SADC member states. Innocent Modisaotsile, project manager of the SADC Secretariat HIV & AIDS Unit says, “SADC as a region aims to strengthen prevention of HIV/ AIDS, strengthen their response to OVC and exploring cross-border initiatives”. SADC is fully committed to the challenge of working together to control the pandemic and launched the Maseru Declaration on Combating HIV/AIDS, which recognises “that within the SADC region, there have been successes and best practices in changing behaviour, reducing new infection and mitigating the impact of the HIV and AIDS pandemic, and that these successes need to be rapidly scaled up and emulated across the SADC region”. The Maseru declaration stimulates and encourages exchange of ideas and increased collaboration and co-ordination between member states. Combating poverty Poverty in South Africa remains a key problem. It is estimated that 65% of South Africa’s children are living below the poverty line that is based on a per capita income of R430 per month. About 54% of South African children live in deep poverty, where the poverty line is based on a monthly per capita poverty line of R215. In first-world countries, such problems are more easily addressed through state budgets, but in countries like South Africa such a solution is not financially viable. South Africa has a social grant system – a Child Support Grant (CSG) of R190 per month and a Foster Child Grant (FCG) provides assistance to the primary caregiver of R590 per month. These grant figures can be considered nothing more than poverty alleviation assistance, in the sense that they are nowhere near enough to properly clothe, school, feed and fully provide for a child. Furthermore, many orphans and children are unable to access the child support grant because they lack appropriate documentation such as birth certificates and identification documents, meaning many in need are not yet accessing the grants. Such facts and figures can be both dehumanising and depressing. It is easy to feel like the problem is too vast to challenge and change when we face the reality that millions of children are in need of support and care. There is no denying that the resultant problems are vast – the traditional African system where extended families will informally adopt blood-related orphans is under sever pressure, as increasingly impoverished households with an increased ‘dependency ration’ are rendered unable to adequately care for children. OVC face economic and psychosocial challenges; the illness and death of a caregiver jeopardises a child’s most basic needs, and deprives a child from a family environment that is crucial in the development of a positive self-identity and self-esteem. However, not all is lost. Significant numbers of international, national and local organisations are working to tackle the issue of OVC and the significant causes such as HIV/AIDS. Organisations such as Unicef have come on board and are working with the South African Department of Social Development and civil society to research, support and co-ordinate action relating to OVC. Community safety networks, such as the National Association of Child Care Workers, provide a much needed interface between children, their caregivers and available social services in the communities in which children live. Organisations such as the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative operate in the SADC region, fostering better psychosocial assistance for children affected by HIV/AIDS in the region. The Children’s Institute produces key policy analyses reports and education work on children in South Africa. There is always need for financial support, however, and for better communication and interaction between sectors – relationships that take time to build. It also seems there is a lack of support from the corporate sector in the area of OVC. Solomon of Molo Songololo says that in his organisation’s experience, “the business and private sector, including employer bodies, are not doing enough to support government efforts… business could adopt communities that are vulnerable and support prevention and early intervention programmes and services”. It seems there is recognition of the root causes of the OVC problem, and significant steps are being taken to tackle the problems of poverty, HIV/AIDS and proper policy implementation. Governments need to strengthen their relationship with NGOs, children’s advocacy groups and others in order to effectively reach those in need. While legislative or policy measures may be astute or well-intentioned, they often miss the poorest communities and children by not taking into consideration their needs in reality, or by implementing the programmes is such a way as to exclude the poorest. There is no doubt that reaching those with the fewest resources, and in the remotest places, is a very difficult but essential task for South African public administration, which is required to deliver against the Constitution, and which holds duty-bearer obligations in terms of the CRC. For people working in the field such as Solomon, it is not simply a shift in action but a shift in attitude that is needed – “We need to change our attitude towards children and not treat them like adults before their time.” We should focus on nurturing these members of our society – it is not only their futures at stake but ours as well. Lauren Clifford-Holmes

Last Updated on Friday, 23 April 2010 08:27