Election 2004 Manifesto: Part 5
Part 5 covers the challenges and the ID's solutions to HIV/AIDS, Human Security including Specific Solutions on Crime Against Children and Rape and Women Abuse.
HIV/AIDS
Challenges:
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is one of the greatest threats to the health and stability of our country as a result of the complete failure of leadership by the President and his Minister of Health. The deaths of a million South Africans could have been prevented if government had acted on the recommendations and advice of the medical community.
Government continues to delay the Anti-Retro Viral Drug rollout. We are moving from an HIV into an AIDS pandemic. Our response needs to be multi-sectoral and given the highest political priority.
The ID' s Solutions:
Challenges:
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is one of the greatest threats to the health and stability of our country as a result of the complete failure of leadership by the President and his Minister of Health. The deaths of a million South Africans could have been prevented if government had acted on the recommendations and advice of the medical community.
Government continues to delay the Anti-Retro Viral Drug rollout. We are moving from an HIV into an AIDS pandemic. Our response needs to be multi-sectoral and given the highest political priority.
The ID' s Solutions:
- Effective Roll-out of the ARV programme: the ID is fully committed to The Operational Plan for complete HIV and AIDS Care, Management and Treatment. The ID will ensure that the government complies.
- Proper Allocation and Monitoring of HIV/AIDS expenditure: mishandling and under-spending of budgets will not be tolerated by the ID.
- More Emphasis and Support for Community Health Care Workers: community health care workers play a vital role in educating communities around primary health care issues and are perfectly placed to facilitate the effective roll-out of the ARV programme. The ID will therefore argue for more finances and support for this sector.
- Sustained Leadership on HIV/AIDS: countries where the political leaders have driven the national HIV/AIDS strategy have met with the most success in reducing HIV infection rates. In South Africa this political leadership has been severely lacking. The ID will change this by continually speaking out on HIV/AIDS and informing people of the need to protect themselves.
- HIV Positive People taking the lead in the HIV/AIDS Battle: the ID maintains that the battle against HIV/AIDS in South Africa must be led by those who are HIV positive. It is for this reason that the ID will ensure that its leadership structures contain people who are HIV positive and are in a position to drive forward our HIV/AIDS agenda.
- Reciprocal Doctor Agreements with Other Countries: the ID will motivate for reciprocal agreements with doctors from industrialised countries to work in South Africa on HIV/AIDS.
- A Countrywide Know Your Status Campaign: Patricia de Lille has already led the way by inviting her fellow parliamentarians to get tested with her and know their status. The ID will push for a nationwide campaign that will call upon all leaders and every South African to have themselves confidentially tested.
- Treatment awareness and education: we need a major information campaign on treatment and the use of ARVs. Messages must be consistently positive and well researched.
- Development of an AIDS Vaccine: the ID believes that South Africa should play a leading role in developing an AIDS vaccine.
HUMAN SECURITY
Challenges:
Failings in the justice system have resulted in the failure of government to provide human security for the majority of South Africans. Crime is at such a high level that it impacts on every South African and divides our communities through fear.
There are numerous areas of grave concern: organized crime and drug syndicates, illegal firearms, violent crime and rape, victimization of women and children, murder and gang warfare.
ID argues that central to this problem is the failure of the organs of justice to function together. There is an urgent need for a full and comprehensive reform.
Corruption of officials in any part of the system must be constantly guarded against.
It is almost impossible for anyone to receive timely dispensation of justice. There is also unequal access to the courts and the poor are often intimidated by the process and the cost of legal representation.
The police force needs major training, especially in the requirements of the prosecution. There needs to be a stepped up police presence.
The ID Solutions:
- Public awareness campaigns geared at educating the public on the justice system are necessary.
- Independence of the judiciary must be respected and political interference cannot be tolerated.
- Measures must be taken to cut down on the number of inmates currently straining facilities in jails.
- Rehabilitation and re-integration programs need to be re-evaluated to cut down on repeat offenders.
- Greater cooperation between the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies is required.
- Communities must be mobilized to take responsibility for their own security.
- Stepped up police presence on commuter trains is essential.
- Crack down on illegal firearms and promote responsibility amongst legal and law-abiding firearm owners.
Specific Solutions on Crime Against Children:
We need a national government strategy on child abuse and neglect prevention.
Better co-operation between government and NGOs working in the areas of trafficking of children and child labour.
The ID Solutions:
Rape and Women Abuse
• A Common Rape Protocol (CRP) must be drawn up and entered into law. This protocol would include a minimum ethical and moral standard of practice into which the rape survivor is immediately entered from the time the incident occurs and followed through each stage of recovery and care. The protocol needs to be implemented through all the various sectors such as:
- Education: teachers, informed and trained in their area of practice.
- Legal: professional individuals, both state and private, made CRP officers to render free legal assistance to survivors, collecting costs from the CRP trust fund.
- Health care professionals: nurses and hospital staff trained in the care and treatment of survivors.
- Police: police officers need to be trained as the only ones to deal with this crime.
- Post Trauma Care facility: a place of refuge and restoration for
rape survivors to come to terms with their trauma before they are
reintegrated into their community.
- Communities: communities must be encouraged to take responsibility for their women and children. They need to break the silence and intervene where and when necessary. Places of refuge set up and run by community members must be supported by the State.
