Pretoria – The Department of Social Development will on Thursday host the International Day for Families (IDF), as one of the build-up activities towards the launch of Child Protection Week (CPW) to take place this month.
During the recent Budget Vote Speech in Parliament, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini highlighted the importance of strengthening South African families. This is the essence of the White Paper on Families, which aims to put families at the centre of government interventions.
The two-day IDF event, to be celebrated in the form of a Family Expo, will be held from 17 - 18 May at eMthonjaneni Local Municipality in Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal.
To mark the day, Deputy Minister of Social Development Bongi Maria Ntuli will host an outreach programme with local communities, while department officials provide information to communities on government services to families.
The commemoration of this day emanated from the 1995 United Nations World Summit on Social Development held in Copenhagen, Denmark, which emphasised that governments across the globe must address challenges confronting families. These include HIV and Aids, domestic violence, rapid urbanisation, poverty and unemployment, to name a few.
Every year on 15 May, South Africa joins other UN Member States in commemorating the International Day for Families in celebrating families and promoting awareness of issues relating to families as basic units of society, as well as advocating for appropriate interventions to support of families.
This year the day will be commemorated under the theme: “Advancing social integration and intergenerational solidarity within families and the communities.”
“The South African government recognises the important role families play in providing love, care and support to its members and has introduced various programs to assist and improve the lives of families, including families in need.
“These include the provision of income support through social grants, free basic services to indigent households and family strengthening services amongst others,” the department said.
Child Protection Week (CPW)
Meanwhile, CPW will start from 27 May to 2 June. It calls on all people to create a safe and secure environment for children.
This year’s theme is “Working Together to Protect Children”, meaning we should all do what we can to serve and protect the human rights of children.
The CPW launch will focus on child participation in order to provide children with an opportunity to have their voices heard on matters affecting them.
Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini will launch the week-long CPW at Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in KwaZulu-Natal during the Orphans and Vulnerable Children and Youth (OVCY) Conference.
The conference, which will start from 27 - 30 May 2013, will provide a platform for the launch of the CPW and exchange of latest initiatives as well as evidence based knowledge that will inform and enhance policy development and programming for orphans and vulnerable children.
Children’s dialogues
The department will also be conducting the children’s dialogues in two villages at the Greater Tzaneen Municipal District, as build up activities towards the closing event of CPW.
During the dialogues, selected children from provinces and two villages will be trained as change agents to facilitate community engagement/discussions on issues affecting children.
The department explained that the purpose of the dialogues is to put the community at the forefront of change, create opportunity for children to understand, discuss, decide and act on issues affecting their lives and provide opportunity to local authorities to listen and understand children's concerns and decisions.
Dlamini will host the closing of the CPW on 2 June 2013 at Lephephane in Tzaneen, Limpopo, where the focus will be on sensitising communities and families on the rights of the children including children with disabilities. – SAnews.gov.za
