Commemoration to focus on equity within families
As youth month continues, the Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, will host an awareness creating event in Cape Town focusing on family life and how the family can be strengthened to the benefit of all its members, including women and children.
The theme chosen for the commemoration is “Gender Equality and Children’s Rights in Contemporary Families, free from alcohol and drug abuse”.
The commemoration will also address the adverse effects of alcohol and substance abuse within families. Alcohol and substance abuse have been shown to be among the leading causes of abuse of women and children within families.
The Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, has consistently called on South Africans to promote and protect the family unit as a way of fighting social challenges facing the country.
Government has adopted the White Paper on Families as the national policy framework for the promotion of healthy family life. The White Paper puts forward guidelines on how South African families should be supported in order to flourish and function optimally.
The White Paper defines the family as a societal group that is related by blood (kinship), adoption, foster care or the ties of marriage (civil, customary or religious), civil union or cohabitation, and go beyond a particular physical residence.
Alcohol and substance abuse in the Western Cape has been cited as one of the leading causes of family disintegration and other social challenges.
Through its recent dialogues with the community of Blue Meadows, Mfuleni, the Department of Social Development has found that there is prevalent abuse of alcohol, dagga as well as tik in the area, often leading to serious crimes such as house breaking, murder, rape, robbery as well as domestic and public violence.
According to the 2014 World Drug Report, in South Africa there is an increase in the use of heroin and methamphetamine. Treatment facilities report that cannabis remains the most common illicit substance used, particularly among young people. Almost half of the admissions at specialist treatment centres were primarily related to cannabis use disorders.
The commemoration will also therefore focus on promoting family-based programmes to dealing with substance abuse that enhance family bonding and relationships and include parenting skills; practice in developing, discussing, and enforcing family policies on substance abuse; and training in drug education and information.
On the morning of the event, Minister Dlamini will visit a household in Mfuleni affected by substance abuse in a symbolic show of support for the many families similarly affected.
The Minister’s procession will leave from Zolile Malindi Community Centre, Trevor Tokwana Drive, Extension 4, Mfuleni at 09h30. Members of the media are invited to join the Minister on the household visit as well as to attend and cover the event, scheduled as follows:
Date: 19 June 2015
Time: 11h00
Venue: Bardale Multipurpose Centre, 223/227 Parliament Street, Blue Meadows, Mfuleni, Cape Town
Media can RSVP with Mr Jaconia Kobue on 073 026 1111 or jaconiak@dsd.gov.za
Enquiries:
Ms Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
