Heroes in Action: Child Advocates in South Africa

Namhla Mniki
Solange Rosa
Children’s Institute
University of Cape Town, South Africa

Citation: Mniki, Namhla and Solange Rosa (2007). "Heroes in Action: Child Advocates in South Africa." Children, Youth and Environments 17 (3): 189-207. Retrieved [date] from http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/

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Abstract

Dikwankwetla – Children in Action is the name of an advocacy group of children who participated in the deliberations around the new Children’s Bill in South Africa.  Their participation in a legislative process broadens the scope of venues for children’s participation, and challenges the discourse about child participation at a new level.  It also raises important conceptual questions about the extent to which children can participate in legislative processes.  This paper presents the efforts of Dikwankwetla as a case study, reflecting on its practice and challenges.  It interrogates children’s agency in this process, and argues that childhood must be re-conceptualized to recognize that children are political actors in their environments.  Looking at the concepts of power and representation, it recognizes the need for a shift in the adult-child relationship, from one based on control to one based on rights and responsibilities.  More importantly, it reflects on the implications of facilitating children’s participation in the context of a developing country, where socio-economic and cultural conditions raise different challenges from those in the developed world.

Keywords: child participation, children's agency, child advocacy, child rights, legislative reform, South Africa