Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu, in partnership with the European Union (EU) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will today launch a R19 million programme to protect unaccompanied and undocumented children.
The Children on the Move Programme, seeks to assist with the provision of basic needs for unaccompanied and undocumented minors living in South Africa.
The launch of the programme will take place at 3pm this afternoon at Ronnie Mamoepa Press Room at the Government Communication and Information System offices in Pretoria.
The Department of Social development estimates that there are 642 000 migrant and refugee children in South Africa, making it the country with the largest child migrant population on the continent.
South Africa as signatory to different international conventions, including the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child, and the African Charter on the Rights and welfare of the Child, is obligated to accord every child who lives within the borders of the country to receive all basic services including healthcare, education, food and shelter.
In light of this, the R19 million initiative is geared to improve access to integrated child protection services, from violence prevention to gender specific work, and documentation to alternative care options to avoid the detention of children.
The Unaccompanied Children’s Funding Programme will also go a long way to mitigate some challenges faced by unaccompanied minors as the country is battling with the global Covid-19 pandemic. – SAnews.gov.za
