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Presentation to the Joint Monitoring Committee on the

Status of People with Disabilities, Children, and

Youth

08 September 2006

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

• Status of Youth and Children

• Status of People with Disabilities in SA

• Access to Basic Services

• Policy and Legislation

• International Instruments on Children

• South African Legislation on Children

• Policy for Youth Development

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE (cont)

• Dplg Responses

• Dplg Areas for Mainstreaming

• Dplg Mandate in Relation to Children

• Priority Areas

• Challenges

• Conclusion

(Statistics South Africa, Midyear Population Estimates: 2005)

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STATUS OF YOUTH & CHILDREN

• 37% of the population is youth (15-34 years)

• Children (0 – 14 years) constitute 32% of population

• 72 % of the unemployed between 15 - 34 years

• Approximately 10 000 children and youth live on the streets

• 50% of new HIV infections among youth 15-24 years

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STATUS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN SA

According to 2001 Census:

• There are 2 255 982 people living with various forms of disabilities - 5% of the total population.

• Prevalence of sight and physical disabilities was high 32% and 30% respectively.

• There are more women living with disabilities than men

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STATUS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN SA

• 30% of persons (20 yrs and above) living with disabilities had never been to school compared to 15% of the population.

•30% had secondary education compared to 40% of the population

•People with disabilities constitute a lower percentage of employed persons.

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ACCESS TO BASIC SERVICES

Access to Water

•78% of households headed by persons with disabilities had access to piped water compared to 85% of those headed by non-disabled persons.

•Most disadvantaged households: Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Access to Electricity

•National average for households headed by persons with disabilities which mainly use electricity is 62%: KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape 42% and 49% respectively.

Housing

37% live in traditional dwellings and informal settlements.

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POLICY AND LEGISLATIONThe dplg’s response is guided by amongst others:-

• The Constitution of South Africa (Act 108 of1996)

• Procurement Policy Framework.

•The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (2000).

The Employment Equity Act, 1998.

• The Municipal Systems Act No 32 of 2000.

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POLICY AND LEGISLATION

•Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act, No. 41 of 2003.

•Indigent Policy.

(The framework provides foundation upon which Municipalities can develop own policies and basis for compliance with Municipal Systems Act which requires Municipalities to make provision for indigent debtors.)

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POLICY AND LEGISLATION

White Paper on Local Government ( 1998)“…that establishes a system for developmental local government working with local citizens and communities to find sustainable ways to meet their needs and improve the quality of their lives…”

• Intergovernmental Relations Act (IGR)…that facilitates Intergovernmental Relations, including provision for implementation protocols.

The Integrated Development Planning (IDP) as a mandatory tool for integration requires that…..“all municipalities undertake developmentally-oriented planning”

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INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS ON CHILDREN

• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

•African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

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SOUTH AFRICAN LEGISLATION ON CHILDREN

•Child Care Act (1983) / Children’s Bill

•Films and Publications Act (1996) protects children from exploitation (e.g. using children in pornography)

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DPLG MANDATE IN RELATION TO CHILDREN’S BILL

The following responsibilities were assigned to Provincial Departments of Local Gov and Municipalities and are to be reflected in IDPs :-

• Early Childhood development : Provinces and Municipalities are responsible for early childhood development.

• Children in need of care and protection: Municipalities are required to make provision for indigent debtors including child- headed households.

• Shelters and Drop in Centres: Municipalities have responsibilities in terms of provision of child care facilities.

• Intersectoral Implementation of the Children’s Act: dplg is responsible for facilitating intergovernmental relations – Intergovernmental Framework is in place.

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Dplg PROGRAMME MAINSTREAMING

• Integrated Sustainable Rural Development and Urban Renewal Programmes (ISRDP and URP)

• Local Economic Development (LED)

• dplg Internship Programme

• Public Participation – and the CDW Programme

• Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG)

• Project Consolidate

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DPLG RESPONSE

In response to the need for focused and targeted intervention:

•The department has established a Chief Directorate to support Provinces and Municipalities in implementing policies relating to Gender, Disability, Youth and HIV and AIDS.

Equity and Development Unit Mandate

•Integrated implementation of youth development framework

•Mainstreaming gender, HIV/AIDS in all provincial and local government programmes

•Ensuring that all provincial and local government policies are geared towards addressing and redressing needs of children, people with disabilities and youth

•Development and implementation of Gender policy at LG

•Development of implementation plan

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MIG

Table 1: Employment by CategoryEmployment on MIG projects in Person Days Up to December 05

Women 2,381,934

Men 5,433,344

Youth (Female) 1,476,510

Youth (Male) 2,598,401

Disabled (Female) 33,488

Disabled (Male) 64,863

Total 11,988,541

Employment on MIG Projects

19.87%

45.32%

12.32%

21.67%0.28% 0.54%

Women Men Youth (Female) Youth (Male) Disabled (Female) Disabled (Male)

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THE DPLG RESPONSEINTERNSHIP PROGRAMME

• The programme, aimed at exposing students (youth), was implemented during 2004/05 financial year to provide practical experience to interns in their fields of study and alleviate the shortage of skills in specialised areas (IT etc)

• During the 2005/06 financial year, interns were appointed in the Department in the areas of IT and Research

• 50% of the total intake have been appointed permanently within the public and private sectors respectively.

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POLICY ON YOUTH

•National Youth Commission Policy 2000

•National Youth Development Policy Framework 2002-2007

•Youth Development Guidelines for Local Government (2004)

•National Youth Services

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PRIORITY AREAS (YOUTH)

•Undertake a study to establish levels at which youth participate at different municipal structures such as Integrated Development Plan clusters and in the formulation of Local Economic Development Strategies

•Facilitate the alignment and coordination of youth interventions and this includes youth development allocations in the budgetary processes of all sectors involved

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PRIORITY AREAS (YOUTH)

• Audit and align youth specific policies and programmes implemented at local level

• Intensify programmes for vulnerable youth through partnerships

with key stakeholders and support municipalities in implementation of programmes

• Intensify programmes that move youth from the periphery to the center of developing the economy through planning, budgeting for and implementing supportive policy interventions.

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PRIORITY AREAS (YOUTH)

• Institutionalise youth development at provincial and local levels

• Create participatory measures to target the youth in general,especially disadvantaged youth and youth with disabilities

• Engage local youth organisations in programmes focusing on a developmental local government vision

• Identify needs for local facilities that are supportive of youth development (e.g. youth friendly clinics, libraries, community centres)

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PRIORITY AREAS (YOUTH)

• Analyse the levels of integration/non-integration of youth development in planning and implementation of municipal services

• Enhance youth access to municipal services in general and specific youth services

• Strengthen coordination and integration within the Interdepartmental Committee for Youth Affairs (IDC)

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PRIORITY AREAS (disability)• Increase awareness of disability issues in Local Government.

( Disability and Good Governance)

• Strengthen Local Government’s capacity to address issues of disability by developing Municipal Policy on Disability

• Promote disability-friendly service delivery

• Facilitate training of various role-players on their respective roles and responsibilities in addressing issues of disability at local level

• Integrate disability into dplg programmes and ensure inclusion thereof in the IDPs.

• Promote participation of people with disabilities in development

programmes

• Collaborate and consult with organizations representing people with disabilities.

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CHALLENGES•Lack of integration within and across departments in the forefront of development

•Inexplicit reporting regarding the prioritization of children,youth and people with disabilities programmes

•Lack of adequate resources to deliver on the development mandate targeted at children, youth and people with disabilities.

•Limited skills development programmes to enable youth and people with disabilities to initiate their own development activities beyond once-off interventions

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CHALLENGES• Lack of communication on available resources and targetedprogrammes

• Lack of monitoring and evaluation tools reflective of focused interventions for all the target groups

• Limited documentation and sharing of best practices on addressing the needs of children youth and people with disabilities

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CONCLUSION• All children and youth, including those with disabilities, exist in the

space of Local Government, therefore, dplg is one of the departments that have to be in the forefront on targeted development

• Development is a priority for all sectors and initiatives, including ASGI-SA, JIPSA, the National Youth Service and the challenge is the translation to measurable developmental targets and outcomes

• A paradigm shift is necessary to move youth and PWD development beyond skills development programmes to far reaching economic outcomes

• There is a need for meaningful community participation of youth and people with disabilities that is integrated and sustainable.

• All cross-cutting interventions should be part of and be at the centre of service delivery across all spheres of government and programmes