A Decade of a decisive advance to equal rights for all
2006-01-05. This past decade has certainly been a decisive one for South Africa in which we have managed to make a fundamental break with our tragic past. We have committed ourselves to the phrase Never Again when it comes to the trampling on of human rights in South Africa. This is expressed most vividly in our constitution which is praised throughout the world as embodying some of the most progressive human rights. This is something that we should all be rightly proud of, but more than that, it is something which we must hold our government accountable to. The rights contained in the constitution are mere paper rights unless we are able to turn it into a living document. This is the challenge that we all face in South Africa, and it is one that the Independent Democrats are committed to.
The greatest human rights abuses are occurring in our prisons which are grossly overcrowded. The most tragic aspect of this is awaiting trial prisoners, many of whom are too poor to afford bail, and are left to languish for months on end. Included amongst the prison population are child offenders who in many cases are still not being held separately from adults. This is despite the ruling that Patricia de Lille managed to secure from the courts ordering the government to house children in separate institutions. Children’s rights are also often not being respected on our streets where frustrated security people take out their pent-up anger against children as young as eight years old. The streets are becoming a war zone for children, where they are being used as sex workers, drug peddlers and are even becoming involved in the human trafficking rings. ID would urge this government to do more to protect the basic human rights of these kinds and it was shocking to find last night that these children are not able to access even the most basic human needs such as food, water and shelter. Our children are our future and we can only make decisive advances to equal rights when we begin with our poorest children.
The Independent Democrats commits ourselves to realizing a culture of human rights for all South Africans, by bridging our divides and restoring our sense of common humanity.
