Launch of the Volunteer Child Network

Meeting report

IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND STATUS OF YOUTH, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES JOINT MONITORING COMMITTEE
16 October 2002
LAUNCH OF THE VOLUNTEER CHILD NETWORK

Acting Chairperson: Mr Setona (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Volunteer Child Network Website

SUMMARY
The launch of the Volunteer Child Network was welcomed by the Committee. The Volunteer Child Network initiative was described as a consultative process that led to a holistic approach in dealing with child abuse. The website will be a database for organisations that need volunteer services. The database will be fed by individuals who would supply their details on the site so that organizations could contact them and use their services. Individuals would be free to delete their information in future.

MINUTES
Ms Holtman: senior manager of crime prevention at CSIR, gave a background to the Volunteer Child Network initiative. She described as a consultative process that led to a holistic approach in dealing with child abuse. Mr Maunga from the CSIR made a demonstration of how the Volunteer Child Network website could be used. The website was described as a database for organisations that needed volunteer services. The database would be fed by individuals who would supply their details on the site so that organizations could contact them and use their services. Individuals are also free to delete their information in future.

Discussion
Ms Rajbally (MF) asked to what extent the presentation was done at grassroots level.

Ms Holtman explained that while it was important to present the initiative at grassroots level, the CSIR thought it would be beneficial to initially present to Parliament so that Parliamentarians could introduce the initiative to their constituencies.

Ms Mathibela wanted an explanation of the link between poverty and child abuse.

Ms Holtman explained that she could not claim knowledge of the causal factors between poverty and child abuse. However, she explained that there was a positive correlation between poverty and child abuse and that there was a negative correlation between poverty and access to the justice system.

Ms Gandhi (ANC) asked how the website communicated with the end user who would feed their information for voluntary work.

Ms Holtman explained that the information would be used by organisations and not the CSIR and that it would be private.

Ms Gandhi (ANC) observed that the initiative needed to share information with other countries. Could the website provide for information exchange.

Ms Holtman agreed to the idea and promised that it was the long term goal of the CSIR to do that. She however pointed out at the existence of expertise within our borders.

A Member described herself as someone working with disadvantaged children in the squatter camps of Cape Town. She asked if the CSIR had a medium through which the Volunteer Child Network could reach the squatter camps.

Ms Holtman reminded Members that the website could not do everything. She reiterated that Parliamentarians had to take the initiative to its constituencies.

One Member pointed out that there was no access to computers in rural areas. She asked if the CSIR would welcome the invitation present the initiative to caucus meetings. Ms Holtman welcomed the invitation.

The Chairperson pointed to the fact that child abuse was an unpoliceable offence in the sense that it often happened within family and friendship circles. He urged the Committee to stop blaming the police for the occurrence of the crime and start looking within the community.

A Member asked if the keyword search for the site would not be a hassle considering its three word composition.

Ms Holtman reckoned any combination would not cause hassles.

Address by the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development
Ms Gillwald was pleased with the use of technology to intervene in the fight against child abuse. She strongly felt that an integrated governance system would ensure that children did not fall into the cracks of an system not effectively integrated. She also emphasised that civil society had to be part of a support for the justice system to intervene effectively in child abuse cases. She concluded by urging the audience to use the site effectively.

Address by Adv Majokweni: Special Director, Sexual Offences and Community Affairs, National Prosecuting Authority
Adv Majokweni observed that the justice system was faced with an increasing number of cases of child sexual offences and that it was urgent to have volunteers. She described the plight of children who had to testify without the emotional support of an adult. She reckoned that the system could just end up by counseling victims but by informing volunteer of the criminal justice system and forming an synergistic and inter-disciplinary approach to child abuse. She also the Committee to use the site.

Address by Ms Shreuder: Director of SA National Council for Child Welfare
Ms Shreuder pointed to the rich history of volunteerism in South Africa and within her organisations. She boasted an amount of more than 1.5 million volunteers in the country. She emphasised that the issue of child abuse was not to be seen as an individual endeavor, but rather as a community undertaking. She congratulated the CSIR for the initiative.

The meeting was adjourned.