Ahead of the upcoming Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum 2024 taking place in Cape Town this week, children in South Africa voiced their concerns that the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP-GBVF) in its current form fails to address their specific needs.
They emphasised that adults continue to hold discussions and make decisions on their behalf without considering their perspectives.
The SVRI Forum 24, held from October 21 to 25 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, is the world’s key research conference on violence against women, violence against children, and other forms of violence driven by gender inequality in low and middle-income countries.
Representing children at the side event on Sunday organised by the Department of Social Development and Unicef, member of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Parliament and Western Cape child ambassador, Inathi Kente, 17, made it clear that the needs and concerns of children were unique and that they deserved to be focused on exclusively within the NSP-GBVF, the country’s blueprint document to address gender-based violence and femicide.
The event was held under the theme “Addressing the Intersection between Violence Against Children and Violence Against Women”.
Decision-making processes
He said that children in all the provinces during consultations about the NSP-GBVF decided that the document should have a separate pillar that focused on children’s issues exclusively.
In a powerful and considered address, Inathi bemoaned the fact that adults continued to exclude them from important decision-making processes.
He highlighted the fact that even the side event, which sought to discuss the intersectionality between violence against women and violence against children, was held at a time when children were preparing for their exams and thus were constrained to participate in the discussion.
Inathi said that his colleague and Western Cape ambassador could not participate in the event, as she was preparing for her matriculation examinations.
He himself had sacrificed his own preparations to represent the 21-million children of South Africa at the event. They will not form part of the conference either.
In a detailed and stinging critique of the NSP-GBVF, Inathi said that the current document used very strong language and was not child-friendly.
“The children said the NSP is not considerate of children, and there was no accountability where children’s issues are concerned given that children are not part of the portfolio committees where policies affecting their lives are considered,” he said.
He added that the NSP does not talk to boys or the male child, even though the country considered GBVF as not a gender-biased issue.
Criminal justice system
He said children had no one to protect them, often left to defend themselves against their perpetrators.
“Children indicated that there are loopholes in the criminal justice system with a lot of corruption in the SAPS [South African Police Service], thus they cannot even go and report cases because they are asked to bring an adult along.”
The NSP, Inathi said, referred more to violence against women, older persons, and persons with disabilities and does not include children, which showed that the protection of children was not taken seriously.
He said the children called for adequate campaigns to educate communities on violence against children, with programmes and interventions that target boy children.
Responding to the issues raised by the children, Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe committed to taking forward the issues of children as raised.
She said the issues raised by the children were genuine and must be considered for implementation as well as inclusion into the NSP-GBVF.
“The Pillar 7, as advocated for in the Children’s report for inclusion in the NSP-GBVF, will ensure that violence against children receive the desired attention and the priority it deserves,” Minister Tolashe said. – SAnews.gov.za
