Section 28 - Children

Section 28 of the Bill of Rights, entitled "Children", says:
Every child has the right to -

• 
  a name and a nationality from birth;
• 
  family care or parental care, or to appropriate alternative care when removed from the family environment;
• 
  basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services and social services;
• 
  be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation;
• 
  be protected from exploitative labour practices
• 
  not be required or permitted to perform work or provide services that -
  are inappropriate for a person of that child's age; or
  place at risk the child's well-being, education, physical or mental health or spiritual, moral or social development;
• 
  not be detained except as a measure of last resort, in which case, in addition to the rights a child enjoys under sections 12 and 35, the child may be detained only for the shortest appropriate period of time, and has the right to be -
• 
  kept separately from detained persons over the age of 18 years; and
  is treated in a manner, and kept in conditions, that take account of the child's age;
  have a legal practitioner assigned to the child by the state, and at state expense, in civil proceedings affecting the child, if substantial injustice would otherwise result; and
  not be used directly in armed conflict, and to be protected in times of armed conflict.
• 
  A child's best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child.
  In this section 'child' means a person under the age of 18 years.

Did you know?

• When the street kids are on the street, there is usually a leader. There leader’s duty is to protect the younger ones. The younger ones must give money to the ones that are protecting them(older ones). This makes the younger kids to depend to the ones that are offering help, in such a way that they will do whatever they are told to by their seniors.

• 
  There are many organizations which are working with children who live on the streets. Most of them are Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), these organizations assist the children with shelter, or food, some even assist them with schooling, yet they are never able to win the battle, children are still living on the street!

• 
  The department of social well fair has social workers who try and work with the kids; at most times the social workers try to take the kids back to the community, other organizations do the same; they try and reconnect the kids with their families or relatives.
  
  


• What is always depressing is to see these kids within weeks or few months back on the street. Even the ones who are taken to school do return to the street.

• Section 28 of the Bill of Rights, entitled "Children" is totally against what is happening, these children are not in a family care or parental care, and there is no alternative care on the streets as they are also not in a family environment, in which this is not according to what the bill states.

The street baggers, street kids, street urchins, amaferanji.

The Street Baggers (also referred to as Street kids or Amaferanji) are these people/ kids we always see on the streets (most likely in the cities) bagging, they are usually not clean, they live, eat in the bins, they are very low life humans

These kids always annoy us they ask for money, they go from grabbing bags to forcefully taking jewellery, including cell phones, they take all these goods to sell them for few bucks and the end of the day the spend the money in sniffing glue, they are absolutely purposeless. At times one may think of giving them money but you just think how this person is going to spend this money.

These people are usually between the age of 8 and 18, now can some tell what is a person this young (8 yrs) doing in the street, this person is clearly directionless, has no purpose in life, this young kid is not going to school, he has no guidance, obviously there is no parental love. He is no hope, he has no place to call a home, the only happiness he finds is when he gets a R5 to buy glue. Now why does he take glue? Glue is a very economical central nervous system depressant, its makes them forget about all the worries, the hanger and even the future.

Imagine now for some reason, your self, if you didn’t have any one to guard, guide you, a abusive parent who does not care, a parent who says you do not listen, a parent who says you are a curse, a parent who is glad you are not part of his or her life.

Now think what on earth will make a 8 year old run off home, what kind of a parent does not go and look for her child if he or she is not home after school. These young souls are taken out of the society against their own will, and the society calls them names. Human kind was never meant to leave like an animals, these children are treated like rejects of humans, they feel like they are less human, their human dignity is lost.

People let do something about this, let’s save these young souls, yes they are violent but its not their fault they are kids, they need guidance like many most of us did, as adults we can think better than them and we can save them. Let’s do some thing, lets save the dignity of the human kind.

http://www.ls2k.blogspot.com/

Its has become a usually thing for me to see children on the street celebrating when I buy them bread, some even dance for it, the smile on their faces if usually pure and straight form the heart. Even if I request their assistance when I’m buying them food, they will still buy bread and juice if I ask why do they chose that, they say they don’t want to waist my money.

Some kids that stay with their parents say they do not want or eat bread, while there are those that celebrate over it. It’s not easy on the streets. I feel terrible when ever I give them food and leave them on the street. Most grown ups, always assume that it a child typical choice to be on the street.

If we can think for once that for every symptom that we see, there is an underlining cause then we can win this battle. The fire that we see did not just start where we see it, but it started some where. A fire fighter will tell you when you are fighting fire you start at its base, then the visible blazing flames will eventually blaze off.

We as “adults” must start thinking like ones, let us stop praising the problem, yes its gigantic, what are doing about it? I believe we are the base of the problem and we need to change our mind sets. If each of us can start helping a child on the street, solely focusing on that child’s problem we can see the change. It’s possible, fighting fire with hatred and anger (fire) won’t help, let’s directly look at a problem. I know that some of us are still waiting for it to happen to us (or a closer relative), and then we will start acting on it. Then if it’s like that, then wait, its coming. The “street kids” did not choose to be in this position; it could have been me or you.