Pretoria – South Africans will on Saturday mark National Children’s Day by highlighting the progress made towards promoting children’s rights.
“The aim of the celebration is to highlight progress made towards the realisation and promotion of children’s rights. It will also popularise and promote the Constitutional mandate to ensure that South African society upholds the rights of children,” said the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities.
The department said this year’s celebration takes place against a “worrying trend of an increase in violence against children, child abuse, murders and rapes”.
On this day, all South Africans are urged to protect children as they are our future leaders. “We also call on communities to continue to work with law enforcement agencies in fighting crime within communities.”
National Children’s Day is marked on the first Saturday of November every year. This year it will take place on the 2 November under the theme “Sireletsa bana - creating a caring nation”.
The department will host the National Children’s Day event in KwaZulu-Natal, where Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities Lulu Xingwana will visit a child-led project and host a dialogue on violence against children. Children will be given an opportunity to articulate their views, expectations and how they see their future in South Africa.
On Friday, President Jacob Zuma is expected to celebrate National Children's Day by hosting the finalists of the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists as well as view their science exhibition stalls at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.
South Africa has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and many of these rights are also enshrined in our Constitution. The Children’s Act of 2005 amplifies the rights a child has in terms of the Constitution. – SAnews.gov.za
