Child Protection Presentation to the

1. Child Protection Presentation to the Select Committee on Women, Children & People with Disabilities Date: 28th August 2009

2. About Molo Songololo • Established in 1979 • A child rights organisation • Strives to advance children’s rights • Ensure their protection, development, survival and participation • Through education, training, lobby, advocacy, and support services. • Work and history reflects the development of the rights and protection of children in South Africa from an apartheid state to a free and democratic country • Registered as a not-for-profit Section 21 Company

3. MS Programmes & Activities • Child rights and responsibility education for children and young people • Life-skills education and training for children and young people • Child participation in law and social policy reform, social actions and campaigns. • Advocacy and lobby for the rights and protection of children in difficult circumstances (child trafficking, child prostitution, child labour, etc.) • Direct support and assistance for victims of trafficking and exploitation • Public awareness and community mobilisation • Training to building capacity of Gov & NGO service providers • Research, data collection and dissemination

4. Child Trafficking & Exploitation • Molo Songololo research on Trafficking in children (TIC) • Identified various TIC and child exploitation cases • Work with law enforcement agencies • Work with victims of TIC, sexual and labour exploitation • Advocate for implementation of law and reform of the law • Facilitated various initiatives in government & civil society to respond to trafficking in children and child exploitation

5. The numbers ..!How big is the problem? • We do not know! • More and more reports of child trafficking & child exploitation are exposed in media • NGO & Government service providers are identifying more victims • More cases are being investigated by police • Cases are appearing in court.

6. Molo Songololo VEP June –Aug 09 • 26 children – New cases of child sexual exploitation identified – inclu. TIC & CL • 32 children – who agreed to be part of VEP • 26 children – still active in VEP at end of August • 16 children – exited VEP in previous period and still being monitored • 11 children - exited VEP during this period • 44 children – assisted (mainly rape cases)

7. Molo Songololo VEP includes • Case identifications, follow-up and investigation • Case assessment • Advise and Referrals • Basic counselling & professional counselling • Provision of basic needs – food, toiletries, transport, etc • Family intervention – parent support & parenting skills dev. • Health examinations, treatment & support • Reporting case to police • Court preparation & support • Motivation and life-skills development • Back to school & vocational training • Healing and recovery therapy and counselling

8. Challenges experienced… • Cases don’t normally present as TIC, CL or exploitation • Lack of empathy for older children – 14-17 years • Lack of access to services • Lack of understanding of child development and child law concerning child labour, child exploitation and trafficking • Poor statement taking, investigations and prosecutions – poor follow-up • Family breakdown and dysfunction • Alcohol & drug abuse – lack or rehabilitation • Poverty and crime • Lack of residential facilities

9. DSD – 445 Child Abuse cases April- May 09

10. What we know about TIC & child exploitation? • Complex and not easy to understand • Involves coersion and/or deception and force • Objective is the intended & subsequent exploitation of children • Many players involved in TIC and child exploitation operations • They include individuals, individuals and organised groups and syndicates • Difficult to distinguish who are offenders • Not easy to identify victims or for them to come forward • Poor children are particularly vulnerable • It occurs in-country and across borders

11. Reasons for TIC & Exploitation Demand and supply factors Poverty and globalisation The desire for a better life – migration Natural disasters and conflict – migration Social factors – lack of access to education and dropping out of school Lack of household income – poverty & unemployent Gender and social discrimination Cultural norms and practices – early marriages Crime, violence & domestic violence

12. Responses to TIC & Exploitation Mainly concerned about cross-border TIC Internal trafficking of children often under-reported or ignored Mainly focus on trafficking for sexual exploitation TIP for labour exploiation, particularly child labour remains under-reported Lack of implementationlegal framework Offenders are charged or prosecuted often on lessor charges Lack of comprehensive victim support, assistance and empowerment programmes Lack of information and knowledge

13. Challenges for TIC & exploitation No single agency, organisation or government can prevent and combat TIC & Child exploiation They lack the expertise to repond to all types of work required to prevent and combat TIC & exploitation There is a need for all government departments and other agencies to get involved and perform specific functions It needs a coordinated multi-agency response It needs resources to adequately conduct investigate, collect evidence, charge and prosecute offenders Victims rights, assistance, care, protection and needs have to be prioritised

14. Impact of 2010 FWC on children Assessment conducted with key Gov & NGO in 5 host cities on the possible impact of 2010 FWC highlight the following; • High levels of vulnerability experience by South African children place them at risk… • The large influx of people – local & foreign - to host cities; is expected to increase the abuse, exploitation and trafficking in children • The expected economic gain will fuel and increase the demand and supply factors for cheap and exploitable labour, sexual and other services • It is also feared that the expected economic gain will increase rural child migration, children surviving and living on the street

15. Risks & threats for children • Closure of schools – will leave children unattended and vulnerable • Increase in alcohol and drugs use – fuel social crimes against children • Increase in demand for sexual service will increase incident of child sexual exploitation (child prostitution, child pornography, etc) • Demand for cheap labour - increase in child labour – incl. children begging and selling goods on the streets • Relaxed border control & visa – fuel cross border child migration and child trafficking • Rural urban child migration will increase

16. The roleplayers – child protection • Civil Society & NGOs – in all shapes and sizes undertake a wide range of activities which is victim focussed  They can not prosecute and punish offenders • Government– Implementation of laws & policies, Law enforcement, prosecution of offenders, social development services and assistance to victims  Victims of TIC & exploitation do not easily access government services • Inter-governmental agencies– run counter-trafficking & exploitation programmes, awareness campaigns, capacity building, VEPs and establish shelters Cooperation and coordination within government is often difficult to achieve

17. Key challenges for monitoring • Implementation & realisation of the rights of the child • Implementation of child legislation framework • Role & Obligations of all government organs and departments to child care, development and protection. • Decrease child vulnerability • Quality of services to children • Role-out of service to all children – including older children, 14 to 17 years. • Access of service to poor and rural children

18. Parliament & SC on Women, Children, people with disabilities • Advance & hold all government organs and departments accountable for the implementation and the realisation of the rights of the child • Promote inter-governmental and intersectoral cooperation and joint intervention programmes to advance the care, development and protection of all children – especially those in poor and rural communities. • Foster partnerships with civil society for the implementation and realisation of the rights of the child – make resources avaliable • Promote and advance the participation rights of children • Promote a child rights approach within all government organs and departments.

19. Priorities prevention • All organs of government and departments must; • Reduce child vulnerability – poor & rural children – girl child • Ensure access to health and social welfare support services • Increase ECD and other care and development services for children • Ensure all children complete their schooling • Establish libraries and other educational facilities and support services • Provide organised after-school and holiday programmes for children, especially older children and teens – sport, arts & culture, recreation • Motivational and life-skills programmes – parent support Conduct regular home-based child monitoring • Effective public transport service – rural children and those in poor under-resourced communities • Reduce over-crowding – housing delivery • Re-establish FCS specialist units at national level

20. Thank you Patric Solomons Tel: 021 448 5421 / Fax: 021 448 2024 Email: patric@molo.org.za