House Chairperson, the ACPD is pleased to see the response to the call to look out for our children during the World Cup. We particularly commend and bring attention to an initiative called "Our Children 2010", which asked, and I quote:
While you are watching the World Cup, who will be watching your children?
A grandmother and her granddaughter got together with the idea of engaging the whole nation in childcare during the World Cup. They are presently doing everything they can to encourage churches and communities to assist parents who will have to work during this period by arranging simple childcare facilities for children in the immediate vicinity, who would otherwise be left alone at home during the extended school holidays.
They were calling for every church, organisation and home from coast to coast to provide what they could to assist in caring for children in their areas, who would not be supervised and would therefore be at risk. Their dream was to have safe spaces for children in every single neighbourhood across South Africa.
As this is a noble dream that should be widely supported, the ACDP urges everyone who can to be part of the initiative to care for the future stars of our nation, who happen to be our children today. Help to plan and organise the month can be acquired by visiting their website, ourchildren2010.com.
Child Protection Week is a campaign to mobilise communities to put children first. In addition to our own children, the Act aims to offer protection for all children in South Africa. Regrettably, this noble sentiment is often forgotten when another lost, crying refugee child who has endured all manner of hardships in their home environment looks to us for help.
Reports say Zimbabwean children without identity papers are being picked up on the streets by the police, and regardless of their age, they are locked up in cells for deportation. This is in contravention of the Children's Act which provides for destitute children to be referred to a social worker and treated like we would our own. Even inside children's homes, there are reports that refugee children are being separated from South Africa's school-going children and, unoccupied, face a boring wait for the Zimbabwean authorities to confirm their status.
We believe that this undermines the rights of the child that we are speaking about. I believe that this Parliament has to do more to ensure that we do not continue debating International Children's Day every year, while no visible improvement in the lives of the children is achieved. We need to do more to eradicate child exploitation, drugs and child trafficking, sexual violence and exposure to violence and pornography.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, hon Gigaba, for his resolve to protect our children from the harmful effects of pornography by fighting for its removal from our streets, TV and Internet. [Applause.] The ACDP supports his noble efforts and hopes that his dedication will be rewarded and that our children will enjoy the protection of adults that they deserve and that their innocence will be promoted and advanced in our community. I thank you. [Applause.]