30. The Committee welcomes the implementation of the Mother Baby Friendly
Initiative (MBFI) which helps mothers initiate breastfeeding. The Committee
encourage the State Party to ensure full national coverage of the MBFI.
31. The Committee notes with concern that considerable number of children in South
Africa suffer from malnutrition. The 2016 South African Demographic and Health
Survey (DHS) report confirmed that 23% of children 6 to 23 months received a
minimum acceptable diet. Children in poor households continue to be adversely
affected by rising costs of food. Although there is Child Support Grant, given the
high rate of inflation, the child support grant is not adequate to fulfil nutritional need
of children. Therefore, the Committee recommends to the Government of South
Africa to take additional measures to ensure food security through improved
employment, social assistance and land and agrarian reform in combination with
regulation of prices of healthy foods.
32. The Committee also notes with concern that considerable number of children are
not taking all basic vaccines in the State Party. The percentage of children who
have never taken any form of vaccination and children who have taken all basic
vaccines remain low. The 2016 South African DHS Report revealed that only 61%
of children age 12-23 months received all basic vaccinations and only 53%
received all age-appropriate vaccinations. Among children 24-35 months, only
42% had received all the age-appropriate vaccinations. The Committee is of the
view that universal immunisation of children against common vaccine-preventable
diseases is crucial to reduce infant and child mortality. Therefore, the Committee
recommends to the Government of South African to take all necessary measures
to ensure universal immunization of children against common vaccinepreventable diseases.
33. The Committee appreciates various interventions implemented to prevent
transmission of HIV to children and to protect children from TB. The Committee
encourages the State Party to ensure the provision of preventive TB therapy to all
children exposed to an infectious source, increased training, awareness and
linkages between MCH and TB services to improve diagnosis of childhood TB,
child-friendly TB formulations and access to MDR-TB prevention and treatment
when appropriate. The Committee further encourages the Government to
prioritise Children and adolescents in HIV budgetary allocations.
H) Special protection measures
i. Administration of Juvenile Justice
34. The Committee congratulates the Government for implementing the decision to
no longer place child sexual offenders on the National Register of Sexual
Offenders.The Committee recommends that the Government also remove the
names of those children who had already been placed on the Registry. The
Committee also notes with appreciation the creation of a system through which
children can be placed in child and youth care centres instead of correctional
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