Afrikaans text / Suid-Afrika het ‘n ver pad gekom sedert die 16de eeu in die erkenning en ontwikkeling van kinderregte. Kinderregte word vandag ten volle erken in die Grondwet, wat die hoogste gesag in die land is. Hierdie studie het ten doel om die beskerming van kinderregte in die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg te ondersoek, met verwysing na die rol wat internasionale reg, soos die United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (“die Konvensie”) en die African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 1990 (“Afrika Handves”) in die ontwikkeling van kinderregte gespeel het. Spesifieke voorskrifte ingevolge waarvan die regte van kinders beskerm word is ondersoek,insluitend artikel 28 van die Grondwet en sekere bepalings van die Kinderwet. Weens die beperkte omvang van hierdie verhandeling, is sekere afgebakende voorbeelde uit die Kinderwet ondersoek met spesifieke verwysing na kinders se regte en tradisionele waardes soos manlike besnydenis, vroulike besnydenis en maagdelikheidstoetse. Daar is gekyk of die praktiese probleme op regeringsvlak, byvoorbeeld die voorsiening en befondsing van maatskaplike dienste, die implementering van die bepalings van die Kinderwet vertraag. Skrywer kom tot die slotsom dat die bepalings van die Kinderwet alleenlik nie voldoende is om effektiewe beskerming aan sekere groepe kinders te verleen nie en hierdie probleme lei daartoe dat kinderregte nie behoorlik gerealiseer en geïmplementeer word nie, en dat daar nie ‘n behoorlike balans tussen die regte en verantwoordelikhede van die kind, die ouers en die staat bereik word nie. Moontlike oplossings vir die probleem en tekortkominge in die uitvoering van die Kinderwet word voorgestel in die slot hoofstuk. / South Africa has come a long way since the 16th century in the recognition and development of children's rights. Children's rights are now fully recognized in the Constitution, the supreme authority in the country. This study aims to investigate the protection of children's rights in South African law, with reference to the role of international law, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the rights and Welfare of the child 1990, in the development of children's rights. Specific provisions under which the rights of children protected is examined, including Section 28 of the Constitution and certain provisions of the Children’s Act. Due to the limited scope of this paper, some designated examples from the Children’s Act are examined with particular reference to children's rights and traditional values such as male circumcision, female circumcision and virginity testing. It is looked at if whether the practical problems experienced on government level, the provision and funding of social services delay the implementation of the provisions of the Children's Act .Author comes to the conclusion that the provisions of the Children alone is not sufficient to ensure effective protection of the rights of certain groups of children and that these problems led to children's rights not properly realized and implemented, and that a proper balance between the rights and responsibilities of the child, the parents and the state is not reached. In the concluding chapter possible solutions to the problems and shortcomings in the implementation of the Children’s Act is suggested. / Jurisprudence / LLM

Text in Afrikaans / Die MIV/vigs-pandemie in Suid-Afiika- van die ergste in die wereld- toon geen tekens van afname nie. Miljoene kinders is reeds of wees gelaat of hewig geaffekteer deur die magdom impakte daarvan op gesinne en gemeenskappe. Die epidemie het voortdurend stygende sterftesyfers tot gevolg en die hewige las van die siekte rus swaar op MIV-positiewe sowel as MIV-negatiewe individue. Verder word tradisionele ondersteuningsnetwerke oorbelaai en/of gaan hulle tot niet. Gesinne en gemeenskappe verloor hul ekonomiese, sosiale en kulturele lewensvatbaarheid. Die pandemie hou, veral onder die armes, 'n geweldige bedreiging vir die gesondheid, welstand en regte van babas, kinders en jongmense in. 'n Groot gedeelte van die impak van MIV/vigs hou verband met die feit dat sommige kinders en hul gesinne beperkte toegang tot die elemente van 'n gesonde omgewing en goeie gesondheid het. Regerings, gemeenskappe en gesinne wat deur MIV/vigs geraak word, het minder tyd, energie en finansiële hulpbronne beskikbaar om op voorkomende gesondheidsorg te fokus. Benewens die impak op gesondheidstatus, word kinders se omstandighede ook as gevolg van MIV/vigsverwante probleme bemoeilik. Dit sluit verhoogde gesinsarmoede, 'n hoer risiko van verlating en weeslating, geforseerde migrasie, onterwing, sielkundige trauma, uitsluiting en diskriminasie, en fisiese en seksuele mishandeling in. Die derde vlaag van die epidemie, welke vlaag nou betree word, word gekenmerk deur 'n ontsettende hoe sterftesyfer, 'n ontploffing in die getal sorgbehoewende en weeskinders en 'n verhoging in menslike pyn en lyding. Die reg speel 'n baie belangrike rol in die beperking van hierdie impak van die MIV/vigs-pandemie op die lewens van alle kinders. MIV/vigs-reg is in die proses van evolusie of vorming en reeds bestaande teorieë kan aangewend word ten einde sekere vrae te beantwoord en probleme daaromtrent aan te spreek. Tog is daar 'n dringende behoefte aan MIV/vigs-spesifieke wetgewing en teorieë ten einde die impak van die pandemie op alle vlakke suksesvol te beheer. Verder het die Kinderreg so 'n mate van ontwikkeling bereik dat daar algemeen aanvaar word dat kinders 'n spesiale belangegroep binne die gemeenskap vorm. Die regsreëls met betrekking tot kinders verander gedurig en is ook nie geskik om volgens die tradisionele wyse, as privaat- of publiekreg, geklassifiseer te word nie. In die hieropvolgende proefskrif word die impak van MIV/vigs op sekere publiekregtelike, maar oorwegend privaatregtelike aspekte van die Suid-Afiikaanse kinderreg ondersoek, sowel as enkele metodes waarop die reg moontlik hierdie impak kan absorbeer en hanteer. Daar word ook in aparte hoofstukke na die impak van MIV/vigs op die lewens van kinders. sorgbehoewende kinders, egskeiding en die ouer-kind-verhouding verwys The HIV/aids pandemic in South Africa - one of the worst in the world - does not seem to be decreasing. Millions of children have already been either orphaned or heavily affected by the numerous impacts on families and communities associated with it. The epidemic brings on an ever-increasing mortality rate and the extreme burden thereof weighs down heavily on HIV-positive as well as HIV-negative individuals. Traditional support networks are further being heavily burdened or perish entirely. Families and communities lose their economical, social and cultural viability. The pandemic threatens, especially among the poorest, the health, wellbeing and rights of infants, children and young people. The impact of HIV/aids is to a great extent the result of the fact that some children and their families do not have sufficient access to a healthy environment and good health. Governments, communities and families affected by HIV/aids have less time, energy and financial resources available in order to enable them to focus on preventive healthcare. In addition to the impact on health status, children's circumstances are also being encumbered by HIV/aids-related problems, including family poverty, a higher risk of being abandoned or orphaned, forced migration, disinheritance, psychological trauma, ostracism and discrimination and physical and sexual abuse. The third wave of the epidemic, which wave is presently being experienced, is characterised by a high mortality rate, an increasing amount of children in need of care and orphaned children and an increase in human pain and suffering. The law plays an important role in the limitation of the impact of the HIV/aids pandemic on the lives of children. HIV/aids law is in the process of evolution or forming and existing theories can be used in order to answer certain questions and address certain issues relating to it. However, there is an urgent need for HIV/aids-specific legislation and theories in order to successfully manage the impact of the pandemic on all levels. Child law has also reached such an extent of development that children is now viewed as a special interest group within the community. The legal principles regarding children change constantly and cannot be classified in the traditional way, which is either as private or public law. In this thesis the impact of HIV/aids on certain aspects of the public and private law pertaining to children is examined. Ways in which the impact can be absorbed and managed by the law is also examined. The impact of HIV/aids on divorce, the parent-child relationship, children in need of care, and the impact of HIV/aids on the lives of children is examined in separate chapters. / Jurisprudence / LL. D.

Text in Afrikaans / Die MIV/vigs-pandemie in Suid-Afiika- van die ergste in die wereld- toon geen tekens van afname nie. Miljoene kinders is reeds of wees gelaat of hewig geaffekteer deur die magdom impakte daarvan op gesinne en gemeenskappe. Die epidemie het voortdurend stygende sterftesyfers tot gevolg en die hewige las van die siekte rus swaar op MIV-positiewe sowel as MIV-negatiewe individue. Verder word tradisionele ondersteuningsnetwerke oorbelaai en/of gaan hulle tot niet. Gesinne en gemeenskappe verloor hul ekonomiese, sosiale en kulturele lewensvatbaarheid. Die pandemie hou, veral onder die armes, 'n geweldige bedreiging vir die gesondheid, welstand en regte van babas, kinders en jongmense in. 'n Groot gedeelte van die impak van MIV/vigs hou verband met die feit dat sommige kinders en hul gesinne beperkte toegang tot die elemente van 'n gesonde omgewing en goeie gesondheid het. Regerings, gemeenskappe en gesinne wat deur MIV/vigs geraak word, het minder tyd, energie en finansiële hulpbronne beskikbaar om op voorkomende gesondheidsorg te fokus. Benewens die impak op gesondheidstatus, word kinders se omstandighede ook as gevolg van MIV/vigsverwante probleme bemoeilik. Dit sluit verhoogde gesinsarmoede, 'n hoer risiko van verlating en weeslating, geforseerde migrasie, onterwing, sielkundige trauma, uitsluiting en diskriminasie, en fisiese en seksuele mishandeling in. Die derde vlaag van die epidemie, welke vlaag nou betree word, word gekenmerk deur 'n ontsettende hoe sterftesyfer, 'n ontploffing in die getal sorgbehoewende en weeskinders en 'n verhoging in menslike pyn en lyding. Die reg speel 'n baie belangrike rol in die beperking van hierdie impak van die MIV/vigs-pandemie op die lewens van alle kinders. MIV/vigs-reg is in die proses van evolusie of vorming en reeds bestaande teorieë kan aangewend word ten einde sekere vrae te beantwoord en probleme daaromtrent aan te spreek. Tog is daar 'n dringende behoefte aan MIV/vigs-spesifieke wetgewing en teorieë ten einde die impak van die pandemie op alle vlakke suksesvol te beheer. Verder het die Kinderreg so 'n mate van ontwikkeling bereik dat daar algemeen aanvaar word dat kinders 'n spesiale belangegroep binne die gemeenskap vorm. Die regsreëls met betrekking tot kinders verander gedurig en is ook nie geskik om volgens die tradisionele wyse, as privaat- of publiekreg, geklassifiseer te word nie. In die hieropvolgende proefskrif word die impak van MIV/vigs op sekere publiekregtelike, maar oorwegend privaatregtelike aspekte van die Suid-Afiikaanse kinderreg ondersoek, sowel as enkele metodes waarop die reg moontlik hierdie impak kan absorbeer en hanteer. Daar word ook in aparte hoofstukke na die impak van MIV/vigs op die lewens van kinders. sorgbehoewende kinders, egskeiding en die ouer-kind-verhouding verwys The HIV/aids pandemic in South Africa - one of the worst in the world - does not seem to be decreasing. Millions of children have already been either orphaned or heavily affected by the numerous impacts on families and communities associated with it. The epidemic brings on an ever-increasing mortality rate and the extreme burden thereof weighs down heavily on HIV-positive as well as HIV-negative individuals. Traditional support networks are further being heavily burdened or perish entirely. Families and communities lose their economical, social and cultural viability. The pandemic threatens, especially among the poorest, the health, wellbeing and rights of infants, children and young people. The impact of HIV/aids is to a great extent the result of the fact that some children and their families do not have sufficient access to a healthy environment and good health. Governments, communities and families affected by HIV/aids have less time, energy and financial resources available in order to enable them to focus on preventive healthcare. In addition to the impact on health status, children's circumstances are also being encumbered by HIV/aids-related problems, including family poverty, a higher risk of being abandoned or orphaned, forced migration, disinheritance, psychological trauma, ostracism and discrimination and physical and sexual abuse. The third wave of the epidemic, which wave is presently being experienced, is characterised by a high mortality rate, an increasing amount of children in need of care and orphaned children and an increase in human pain and suffering. The law plays an important role in the limitation of the impact of the HIV/aids pandemic on the lives of children. HIV/aids law is in the process of evolution or forming and existing theories can be used in order to answer certain questions and address certain issues relating to it. However, there is an urgent need for HIV/aids-specific legislation and theories in order to successfully manage the impact of the pandemic on all levels. Child law has also reached such an extent of development that children is now viewed as a special interest group within the community. The legal principles regarding children change constantly and cannot be classified in the traditional way, which is either as private or public law. In this thesis the impact of HIV/aids on certain aspects of the public and private law pertaining to children is examined. Ways in which the impact can be absorbed and managed by the law is also examined. The impact of HIV/aids on divorce, the parent-child relationship, children in need of care, and the impact of HIV/aids on the lives of children is examined in separate chapters. / Jurisprudence / LL. D.