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Summary: Information about institutions in South Africa that monitor children's rights.
Children's Ombudspersons The South African Human Rights Commission (http://www.sahrc.org.za/home/index.php?ipkContentID=8&ipkMenuID=25) was established by the Human Rights Commission Act (No. 54 of 1994) and under the authority of the Constitution, which sets out the Commission's mandate. Article 184 of the Constitution sets out the functions of the Commission, which include promoting respect for human rights; promoting the protection and development and attainment of human rights; and monitoring and assessing the observance of human rights in the State. Article 184(2) of the Constitution sets out the powers of the Commission, which include investigating investigating and reporting on the observance on human rights; taking steps to secure appropriate redress where human rights have been violated; carrying out research; and carrying out education. In its Concluding Observations of 2000, the Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concern that there was no clear procedure to register and address complaints from children concerning violations of their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee also expressed concern that insufficient resources had been allocated to the Commission to carry out its mandate effectively and noted need to reform the legislation that governed the Commission. In February 2013 the South African Human Rights Commission Bill (http://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/bills/2013-sahrc.pdf), which would have reformed the Commission, was published, but at the time of writing had not been enacted.