Dikwankwetla – Children in Action: Children’s participation in the law reform process in South Africa

Children are usually excluded from the process of drafting legislation. In theory, they can participate when laws are tabled for debate and passage; however, parliament is not designed to accommodate their needs. The focus of this chapter is a project that facilitated children’s input into the drafting of the Children’s Act and the subsequent Children’s Amendment Act in South Africa from 2003 to 2007. The Dikwankwetla – Children in Action project involved twelve children from four provinces of South Africa. The children participated in the parliamentary hearings and public debates and were encouraged to make the most of other advocacy opportunities, with the result that they, together with a range of civil society stakeholders, influenced the provisions in the final Acts.