There’s a special focus on children this month.
National Children’s Day was commemorated on 4 November, and according to the South African Government, the day aims to show the “progress being made towards the realisation and promotion of [the] rights of children”.
One way that the Western Cape Commissioner of Children hopes to make further progress is by including the voice of children in governance. Commissioner Christina Nomdo spoke with several children, following the Mid-Term Budget Speech last week, to hear their thoughts on the matter. Nomdo says their participation in governance is important, especially when plans are being drawn up.
“Children’s rights are not limited to a single day. Their rights should be respected and acknowledged daily. [They are] important members of society who have their thoughts and ideas. Therefore, they should be consulted and included in decisions that affect them.”
Nomdo says more information on governance should be made accessible to them, in a bid for them to grow up to be active citizens.
“Children have a valuable contribution to make to governance. They provide a unique perspective on lived realities.”
Afterward, as the month of November progresses, 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children will aim to highlight the plight of children growing up in abusive and unsafe environments.
Last week, A 69-year-old man from Du Noon was sentenced to life imprisonment for the repeated sexual assault of a young girl, from the age of five. This was fifth case where a man was convicted of committing sexual crimes against a child – in October alone.
Children and teenagers also continue to come under attack in gang-ridden communities – evidenced by the October murder of a 17-year-old girl in Steenberg, and the death of seven-year-old Zakariyah Noble, gunned down in Hanover Park, earlier in the same month.
Police have recently managed to make arrests in both of these cases.
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The Western Cape’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell, hopes that continued convictions for heinous crimes like these will reduce the scourge against the most vulnerable in society.
