18 Mar 2025

The Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education is working on mechanisms intended to enhance the execution of instruments meant to protect children.

Responding to a question in Parliament, Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education Dr Nono Kgafela-Mokoka noted that mechanisms would be premised on the Childrens Act of 2009, which advocated for a multi-sectoral approach to ensuring the best interest of the child was met.

She said that even though the primary responsibility of taking care of children during weekends and school holidays remained with their parents and guardians through the support of community structures and law enforcement agencies, the ministry intended to educate parents and communities on child welfare and education issues, as well as the Childrens Act.

She said they were working on holding consultative meetings on child protection, enhance the concept of collective responsibility by all in child protection as espoused by the Childrens Act.

Additionally, she said some of the impending mechanisms included taking parents who neglected their children to task, ensuring availability of child protection structures and services in all villages, as well as clarifying the role of community leaders in monitoring child welfare.

The minister further noted that engaging community stakeholders in planning and executing child welfare services through local government structures, developing and enhancing character building programmes for children and identifying recreational facilities for use by children in all communities were some of the mechanisms her ministry was working on.

Furthermore, Dr Kgafela-Mokoka noted that they intended to develop and enhance character building educational programmes and life skills for children such as Connect With Respect, which is a gender-based violence prevention programme, and Peer Approach to Counselling by Teens (PACT).

She said empowering parents and children by strengthening circles of support programmes and enhancing Parent Child Communication programmes and involving children in decision making, implementation and monitoring of such programmes were also part of the plan.

Kgatleng West MP, Dr Unity Dow had asked the minister about protective programmes the ministry was considering, owing to the fact that children were most vulnerable during weekends and school holidays. ENDS