CRC/C/15/Add.122
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vulnerable, including girls; children with disabilities; child labourers; children living in
remote rural areas, including Eastern Cape, Kwa Zulu-Natal and the Northern region, as
well as other disadvantaged Black communities; children belonging to the Khoi-Khoi and
San communities; children working and/or living on the streets; children living in
institutions; children of economically disadvantaged families; and refugee children.
Technical assistance in this area from, inter alia, UNICEF is encouraged.
Budgetary allocations
15.
The Committee welcomes the initiative of the State party to introduce the practice of
“costing” new legislation to ensure its sustainability in terms of, inter alia, financing. The
Committee notes that the State party is currently “costing” the draft juvenile justice bill to
determine its financial sustainability. The Committee notes the challenges faced by the State
party in addressing the social and economic legacy of apartheid, particularly among previously
disadvantaged communities. The Committee also notes the efforts of the State party in
establishing a Children’s Budget Project to monitor government expenditure with respect to
children’s programmes with a view to improving the impact of expenditure on the lives of
children. In light of article 4 of the Convention, the Committee remains concerned about the
insufficient efforts made to ensure the adequate distribution of resources allocated for children’s
programmes and activities. In light of articles 2, 3 and 6 of the Convention, the Committee
encourages the State party to pay particular attention to the full implementation of
article 4 of the Convention by prioritizing budgetary allocations and distributions to ensure
implementation of the economic, social and cultural rights of children, to the maximum
extent of available resources and, where needed, within the framework of international
cooperation.
Dissemination and awareness raising
16.
While recognizing the efforts of the State party to promote awareness of the principles
and provisions of the Convention, the Committee remains concerned that professional groups,
children, parents, and the public at large are generally not sufficiently aware of the Convention
and the rights-based approach enshrined therein. The Committee recommends that greater
effort be made to ensure that the provisions of the Convention are widely known and
understood by adults and children alike, in both rural and urban areas. In this regard, it
encourages the State party to reinforce its efforts to make the Convention available in local
languages and to promote and disseminate its principles and provisions through the use of,
inter alia, traditional methods of communication. The Committee further recommends the
reinforcement of adequate and systematic training and/or sensitization of traditional
community leaders as well as professional groups working with and for children, such as
health personnel, including psychologists, social workers, officials of central or local
administration, and personnel of child-care institutions. In this regard, the Committee
suggests that the State party seek technical assistance from, inter alia, the Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNICEF.