Monitoring budgets for child rights

The Bill of Rights in South Africa’s constitution gives special consideration to child rights such as basic nutrition and education, health care and social services. Is it possible to ensure that these rights are realised?

TheInstitute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa),a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has evaluated government programmes andbudgets to see if child rights are being met. There is no explicit system in South Africa for linking budgetplanning and implementation to the rights of children. Having completeinformation about the government’s obligations is the first step, as lack ofclarity weakens attempts to hold the government accountable.

Idasa’s budget monitoring involves three steps:

• investigatingthe content and scope of the right in question
• identifyingand describing the government programmes which affect the right
• analysing the sufficiency of one programme affectingthe right.

Overthe last ten years government funding for children’s programmes has improved incertain areas but many children continue to be vulnerable to poverty, extensiveparental unemployment, neglect and abuse, HIV/AIDS and disability.

Ananalysis of the 2005 budget shows that the government plans to improve itscurrent programmes but more needs to be done. For example, it aims to increasethe Child Support Grant to poor families and include more children by extendingit up to 14 years of age. More money is being invested in improving educationservices through higher teacher salaries, better infrastructure and extendingthe Primary School Feeding programme. However, there is no additional money forNGOs assisting the government in providing services such as assessing childabuse or juvenile crime cases and arranging foster care or alternate sentencing.Lack of adequate funds compromises their work as they cannot employ more staffor increase their salaries.

Idasa’s budget and expenditure analysis has helped toimprove services and assess programme costs. Advocacy groups use suchinformation to strengthen their work on children’s rights. For example, jointefforts by Idasa and other advocacy groups helped toimprove the Child Support Grant programme. Child rights can be ensured throughbudget monitoring. It is important to identify:

• theinternational rights treaties a country has ratified and how this has beentranslated into national action plans and policies or legislation
• theavailable budget information to assess transparency levels
• critical allies in the government who are able tosupport the work to realise rights and budget transparency.