The Network Against Child Labour is incorporated under Section 21 of the Companies Act as an association not for gain - (Reg. 1998/003690/08)

Physical Address	62 Marshall Street, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Postal Address	PO Box 42440, Fordsburg, South Africa, 2033
Telephone	(27-11) 836 9942/3
Facsimile	(27-11) 836 9944
Board Members	Phiroshaw Camay	Co-operative for Research and Education (CORE)
	Peet Human	Gauteng Department of Social Services and Population Development.
	Suchilla Leslie	Individual capacity
	Oupa Mosikare	Operation Hunger
	Florence Nchoe	Johannesburg Institute for Social Services (JISS)
	Astrid Jensen	International Labour Organisation
	Les Sanabria	Gauteng Alliance for Street Children

The Network Against Child Labour exists to end the economic exploitation of children from their labour in whatever form and where it is found.
We believe that children must be free to learn and play to develop their full potential.

1. To bring together organisations and individuals that are concerned with child     labour for a national lobby against child exploitation.
2. To conscientise and educate organisations, the general public and communities     against child exploitation.
3. To provide information and policy guidelines on child labour and related issues     to interested organisations.
4. To organise lobbies for legislation, enforcement mechanisms and social policies,     which are designed to bring about the elimination of child labour.
5. To conduct action-oriented research to expose the problem in our country.
6. To intervene actively or to organise intervention where possible in reported     cases of child labour.

International Membership

During the year the NACL applied for and was granted membership of the following organisations:

International Child Welfare Forum South African National Commission for UNESCO

The NACL also remains an active supporter of the Global campaign for education and supported the Global Action week "hands up for girls education" from the 6-13 of April 2003.

The activities of the NACL over this last year have concentrated mainly on awareness raising and advocacy, but the organisation also devoted some time to research, re-building the network, fundraising, networking, attending relevant meetings, conferences, and training.

Awareness Raising Workshops

In February 2003 the NACL received confirmation that the funding proposal to the Department of Labour's "Strengthening Civil Society Fund" had been successful. The NACL embarked on awareness raising workshops on the issue of Child Labour from the 29th of May to the 20th of June 2003 in the 9 Provinces. A total of 9 one day Provincial Workshops were conducted by the NACL to conscientise children's organisations, communities and the general public about Child Labour.
The aim of the workshops were:

• to raise awareness amongst Children's organisations; Community based organisations and interested parties about
• Child Labour
• Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
• the Children's Bill
• to engage in discussion about various issues affecting children and determine some solutions; and
• to build networks in order to combat child labour.

In total 179 people participated.

Research

Survey on policy measures to combat child labour

During this time the NACL also conducted a survey amongst the 179 participants of the awareness raising workshops on how best to address the issues of child labour being encountered presently in South Africa. A total of 72 responses were received.

The survey was an ancillary piece of work conducted by the NACL in preparation of a draft White Paper on a National Child Labour Action Programme for South Africa being prepared for consideration by the Government Departments and all other relevant stakeholders. It examined the factors which cause or increase real or potential harm to children who may be engaged in child labour and seeks to determine which of the Government Departments would be the appropriate resource Departments to address the worst forms of child labour in a time-bound programme.

Summary of Results

Broadly speaking the participants were in favour of:

1.   The Department of Labour leading the awareness raising campaign on child labour;
2.   CSOs and Government running effective income generating projects;
3.   Having all toll free lines educated about child labour and the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC).
4.   Administrative action on the commercial exploitation of children should be prioritised while legislation is passed;
5.   The Department of Social Development and CSOs should provide safehouses for affected children.
6.   There was substantial support for the Department of Social Development to conduct pilot education programmes to reach victims of commercial sexual exploitation and to establish care centres.
7.   Participants felt the Department of Education should enforce the national school fee policy and exemptions.
8.   A need to educate all stakeholders about the dangers of child labour was endorsed.
9.   Participants revealed interesting forms of non-hazardous and hazardous work performed by children.
10.   The many problems facing children affected by HIV/AIDS were exposed and ideas were put forward on who should provide the necessary assistance.
11.   There was strong support from the participants for increased assistance to shelters rehabilitating street children.
12.   There was a call for the Department of Education to provide educational support to such children wishing to acquire minimum compulsory education.
13.   Also respondents felt that NGOs and the Department of Social Development needed to do more to raise awareness and to stem the negative public opinion regarding children living and working on the street.
14.   Finally the survey exposed a need for more research into children scavenging / recycling.

Building the Network

The remaining Department of Labour money was used to re-establish the Network. The NACL contracted part of this work to Oupa Mosikare who scheduled meetings in person or over the phone with existing members and targeted individuals and organisations for new membership. The NACL co-ordinator also winfaxed all the participants and invitees of the NACL awareness raising workshops an overview, membership agreements and forms. In total 16 NACL affiliates renewed their membership. 37 new members joined the network (28 in person and 9 through Winfax). 8 declined. 20 of the old members were contacted but membership was neither declined nor renewed and a decision was made to keep them on the mailing list until such time that they voluntarily ask to be removed, bringing the current NACL affiliate total to 68.

Advocacy

Background to GPAC and CLIG

When South Africa became a democracy in 1994 then President Nelson Mandela committed the country to a National Programme of Action for Children known in short as the NPA Framework. The idea behind the NPA was to mainstream "children's issues" and get commitment from the various levels of Government to ensure and protect the rights of children. In 1996 the NPA was formally instituted and in 1998 moved from the National Department of Health to the office of the former Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and after elections in 1999 to the office of the Presidency. Programmes of action were also created in each of the nine provinces. So for example in Gauteng our Provincial programme of Action is known as the Gauteng Plan of Action for Children or GPAC for short. In some areas or sub-regions local programmes of Action exist known as LPACs.

The Department of Labour's Child Labour Action Programme (CLAP)

Apart from the provincial plans of action, the NPA also set up various sub-committees to deal with the more specific problems facing children like child labour. One such sub-committee of the NPA is the Child Labour Intersectoral Group or CLIG. CLIG is a national stakeholder forum co-ordinated by the Department of Labour. The Child Labour Intersectoral Group has been responsible for developing the Child Labour Action Programme known as CLAP which is now in the Draft White Paper phase. In February and March the NACL took part in the Department of Labour's "Towards a South African Child Labour Action Programme" workshops. The first workshop on the 26th of February 2003 explored the link between HIV/AIDS and Child Labour. The workshop on the 6th of March 2003 was a Gauteng Provincial and issue-based workshop. On the 24th of July we attended a national Child Labour Action Programme meeting co-ordinated by CLIG and the National Department of Labour. On the 31st of July 2003 the NACL co-ordinator made a presentation to African delegates regarding the NACL's involvement as an NGO in the national child labour action programme (CLAP). As was mentioned previously the NACL during this time, shared the revised findings obtained by conducting a survey of 179 participants at their Provincial workshops with the team tasked with compiling the Child Labour Action Programme. The NACL provided further brief comments on the final Draft and attended a follow up meeting on the 4th of September 2003.

The Children's Bill

On the 19th and 20th of March 2003 the NACL participated in a National Workshop on the Draft Children's Bill in Cape Town hosted by the Children's Institute at UCT and RAPCAN. The NACL volunteered to be apart of the Working Group in order to promote and raise awareness about the Draft Bill. The NACL used the awareness raising workshops on Child Labour to promote awareness about the Bill and attended a follow up meeting for the Children's Bill Working Group in Cape Town on the 17th and 18th of July 2003. The NACL created an advocacy plan and drafted a submission to the Department of Social Development requesting that provisions made in the SALC draft Children's Bill be kept to ensure the child labourers are assisted and protected by the law. Relevant information regarding Child Labour and the Children's Bill was circulated to the NACL affiliates for their input and endorsement on a regular basis.

The NACL submitted a final paper outlining our concerns to the Department of Social Development on the 30th of September once comment had been received from the affiliates. The NACL attend a follow-up meeting in Cape Town on the 6th and 7th of October where the co-ordinator presented a progress report on behalf of the NACL and Child Labour Subgroup. At this time the working group became concerned that the Children's Bill like the Sexual Offences Act and other legislation would be passed hurriedly through parliament without due consideration and without a return of the essential element that were present in the SALC draft. The group as a whole held a press conference to urge Parliament not to rush the Bill.

At this time the NACL suggested that the group become more proactive and organise a march to Parliament on the 20th of November 2003, Universal Children's Day and if necessary a sit in where we would chain ourselves to the chairs in parliament. The NACL also suggested other advocacy strategies such as a schools advocacy campaign involving children writing letters to the Minister requesting a return of the core elements of the Children's Bill from the SALC draft. The NACL also suggested we place an advert in the national Sunday papers from the 'Mothers of the Nation'.

The NACL approached the working group and several donors for assistance with the mass action planned but were unsuccessful. During this time a decision was also taken to split theconsolidated Children's Bill into a section 75 Bill and Section 76 Bill to deal respectively with issues that the National Departments must preside over exclusively and issues that have implications for both National and Provincial Departments. The NACL distributed a press statement at the UNICEF Children's report launch to voice our concern about the delays caused by the splitting of the Bill and the lack of clarity as to what will be retained in the Bill. The NACL highlighted the need to take the process forward efficiently and speedily. The Portfolio Committee on Social Development is due to meet and call for hearings early next year.

Child Trafficking and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

In February this year the NACL attended a meeting hosted by the South African National Council of Child and Family Welfare on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC). The co-ordinator accompanied Police as a social auxiliary worker on a raid to get a picture of child labour and children's issues in the Johannesburg inner city. The NACL co-ordinator also attended training for caregivers on CSEC provided by ECPAT International in May 2003. The workshops on child labour also dealt briefly with the commercial sexual exploitation of children and trafficking in order to raise awareness. The NACL drew up a funding proposal on child trafficking and approached several donors for assistance.

Annual General Meeting

On the 18th of September 2003 the NACL conducted its annual general meeting at the Johannesburg Institute for Social Services. The Chairperson of the NACL gave an overview of the 2002 annual report and financials and the co-ordinator provided an update on the 2003 activities. A new board was appointed. Board members Jackie Loffell, Suchilla Leslie and Peet Human (who could not attend) were thanked for their commitment and service to the organisation and presented with NACL certificates of service.

Networking

The provincial workshops and participation in both the CLAP process and the Children's Bill working group as well as attendance at conferences and training provided the NACL with good opportunities to network with various organisations and individuals with an interest and concern in child labour.

International Child Welfare Forum 2003

With the assistance of a Kirkley Fund Scholarship and funds from the DOL the NACL co-ordinator attended the International Forum for Child Welfare from the 21st to the 23rd of October 2003 held in Cape Town. The theme for the conference was "Creating a child friendly planet: child welfare challenges in a rapidly changing world". The NACL co-ordinator was invited to speak in a panel discussion. The panel topic was 'what is the future of child welfare agencies?' The NACL spoke about the many problems, which face children in South Africa such as poverty, HIV/AIDS and lack of access to social security and services. The serious issues which welfare agencies face such as high staff turnover and insufficient funding were posed as a threat to the continued existence of much needed welfare agencies in South Africa. The need for Government to form meaningful partnerships beyond lip service and provide adequate funds was highlighted. The NACL also spoke about the current Children's Bill and the potential the original Bill had to assist children and the concern from Children's organisations about the changes made by Government Departments to the Bill. The NACL also used the opportunity to network and distribute NACL reports and information to interested parties as well as funding proposals. The NACL through the funds made available to the conference delegates has since become a member of the International Forum for Child Welfare.

Fundraising

Throughout the year the NACL continued to submit funding proposals to various organisations to secure funding for present and future activities. In September 2003 the NACL purchased premium membership to the Funding Site Online Directory (South African Funding Institute). Our membership allowed us to download the contact details and funding requirements of various local, national and international donors. By December 2003 funding proposals had been sent to all donors with e-mail addresses so as to cut down on costs. At a later stage proposals will be posted to the remaining donors. The NACL also met in person with children's organisations and funding bodies in Pretoria to discuss funding. Most notably the NACL approached the Department of Labour, the Department of Social Development, Save the Children Sweden, UNICEF and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF). Early in December the NACL received confirmation that the NMCF will fund the NACL for 18 months starting in January 2004.

NACL AFFILIATES

ORGANISATION / INDIVIDUAL MEMBER

Association for Community and Rural Advancement (ANCRA)
Bankaeleng Mercy Masibi
Barbara Tebogo Wilson
Black Lawyers Association
Black Sash
Catholic Institute of Education
Centre for Rural Legal Studies
Childline Mpumalanga
Children’s Rights and Advocacy Project
Clement Summerton
CORE
COSATU
Dept. of Social Services and Population Development
Development Resource Centre
Douglas Advice and Development Office
Empangeni Child and Family Welfare
Fatlhogang Community Empowerment Programme
FAWU
GASC
International Labour Organisation
JHB Institute for Social Services
Johannesburg Child Welfare Society
Justice and Peace
Kathy Wilson
Lawyers for Human Rights Child Rights Project Pietermartizburg
Legal Resource Centre
Lesedi Lasechaba
Life Changing Ministry
Lifeline Free State
Linda Dhabicitaran
Maite Rachel Themba
Malekoa Mohlomi
Mosengi Frans Themba
Ms. Wendy Ngidi
NACTU
Nana Gumede
National Children’s Rights Committee
NEDLAC
NICRO
Nkheme Twin Xaba
Nnana Molefe
Onthuteng Leonard Koji
Oupa Mosikare
PAWE
PEPPS ECD Training
Phoenix Child and Family Welfare Society
Pietermaritzburg Child Welfare
Prince Maluleke
Project for Conflict Resolution and Development
Rev. Mpho James Mothibe
SA Black Social Workers Association
SA National Council of Child and Family Welfare
SAAPAWU
Sagewood Education Centre
South African Council of Churches
South African Traditional Healers Federation
Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference
Thembi Zulu
Tondani Lushaka Forum
Twilight Children
UNICEF
University of Cape Town (Dept -Sociology)
University of Cape Town (Social Anthropology)
Vereeniging Alliance for Street Children
Verulum Child and Family Welfare
Vuyokazi Nkosana
Westbury Community Centre
Witwatersrand Mental Health Society