# children

- Link: https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/children/
- Published: 2020-10-27T09:16:53+02:00
- Author: dearSA

[Browse the DearSA website ](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/pdps/)

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### The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Social Development invites you to submit written comments on the Children’s Amendment Bill [B18 – 2020].

The amendment, among other things, aims to provide for children’s right to privacy
and protection of information; to further provide for the rights of unmarried fathers;
to extend the children’s court jurisdiction; to further provide for funding of early
childhood development programmes; to provide for the designation and functions for
a Registrar of the National Child Protection Register.

### **2151**** **participants (closed 27 November)

[view DearSA's report on the participation ](https://cdn.dearsouthafrica.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20190822/Childrens-Amendment-Bill-report-.pdf)

[view a summary of the amendment ](https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/children/summary)

[download a PDF of the public comments ](https://cdn.dearsouthafrica.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/20190830/childrensAB-web-s.pdf)

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## [CLOSED] Have your say – shape this amendment.

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### SUMMARY

### The draft Bill seeks to amend the Act;

 * to provide for children’s right to privacy and protection of information;
 * to further provide for the rights of unmarried fathers;
 * to extend the children’s court jurisdiction;
 * to further provide for funding of early childhood development programmes;
 * to provide for the designation and functions for a Registrar of the National 
   Child Protection Register;
 * to further provide for the care of abandoned or orphaned children and additional
   matters that may be regulated;
 * to further provide for rules relating to care and protection proceedings;
 * to further provide for medical testing of children in need of care and protection
   or adoption;
 * to provide for additional matters relating to children in alternative care;
 * to further provide for matters relating to adoption and inter-country adoption;
 * to further provide for the hearing of child abduction matters;
 * to further provide for matters relating to surrogate motherhood; and
 * to provide for matters connected therewith.

### IN THE MEDIA

 * [[listen] – ChaiFM, New Blue Review with Benji Shulman (Rob Hutchinson guest)](https://www.chaifm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020.10.26-Rob-Hutchinson-MD-of-Dear-South-Africa-a-nonprofit-which-facilitates-public-participation-in-government-decision-making-process.mp3)

### DOWNLOAD DOCUMENTS

 * [Children’s Amendment Bill](https://cdn.dearsouthafrica.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/20190857/B18-2020_Children.pdf)

### ENABLING YOU TO SHAPE GOVERNMENT POLICY

Dear South Africa is a legally recognised and constitutionally protected non-profit
platform which enables the public to co-shape all government policies, amendments
and proposals. We’ve run many successful campaigns and have amassed a considerably
large active participant network of over 750,000 individuals across the country 
and beyond.

**We do not run petitions.** We run legally recognised public participation processes
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Furthermore, we keep an accurate record of all participation and produce a publicly
available report at the end of each project. This report forms the foundation of
a sound legal case should the necessity to challenge the decision arise.

Participation costs you NOTHING, and is so easy and quick to do through the platform
that you really have no excuse not to help shape policy BEFORE it becomes law. Legally
challenging implemented law is costly and rarely successful. Prevention is better
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Participation in decision-making processes means a possibility for citizens, civil
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