Families’
capacities, ability and effectiveness to provide their children’s needs depend
on the nature of governance of a country to a greater extent. The government
has a greater responsibility on issues to do with children. The government
expenditure on distribution of income to its population, health, education,
policies that affect families and their children, peace and security of a
country are factors that make it possible for families to afford for their children.
On the other hand families have also a role to play as far as children’s needs
are concerned. The willingness of the family, attitudes, aspirations and family
size are some of the reasons that work hand in hand with the provision of childrens
needs. The essay is going to discuss on the issues that affect the provision of
children’s needs by their families.
According
to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child Article 1 a child means every human being below the age of eighteen
years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.
The governance of the country must also carter for the welfare of the above
class since most of them especially in developing countries cannot afford to
provide for themselves. Governance is the act or manner of governing or the
function of the governing. If the state can perform its functions and so the families
become capable of performing their roles in respect to the care, welfare,
development, provision and protection of their children. Child welfare is to
achieve a quality of life that meets all the basic human needs that is food,
clothing, safety, good health, equitable educational and occupational
opportunities and outcomes. According to Kadushin (1980) it involves providing social
services to children and young people whose parents are unable to fulfill their
child bearing responsibilities, or whose communities fail to provide the
resources and protection that the children and families require.
(i)
Government
expenditure on the distribution of income.
According to Article 6 of
the CRC part (a) State parties shall ensure to the
maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child. Government
expenditure on the distribution of income to family members especially the parents
has an impact on the provision of children’s needs. If the government can
allocate enough funds to the civil service population which is the most
dominant group in most developing countries then the children’s needs are met
most. Families in the African countries rely on the government salaries to
support their families and themselves .If the government can provide them with
these funds that means the standard of living of children will improve. For
example in Algeria the hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy accounting
for roughly 60% of budget revenues,30% of budget revenues,30% of GDP and
over 95% of export earnings. It has the
eight largest reserves of natural gas exports and it has helped improving its
financial macro-economic indicatos.On the contrary the government had little
success in reducing the high unemployment, increment of salaries and improving the living standards of its people.
The factor mentioned is the one of them that affects parents to provide their
children’s needs. If parents are not paid fairly they cannot afford to provide
their children’s basic needs.
(ii)
Government expenditure on health.
According
to the African Report on Child well being (2008) spending on health is an
important indicator of children’s well being yet such expenditure varies
greatly between countries. For example Malawi committed 30% of its total
expenditure on health and at the bottom Burundi and Nigeria, relatively wealthy
countries allocated less than 5%on this sector.(survey on health 2000-2004).The
families can afford to provide the basic need of good health to their children
through the contribution of the state in that area. Increasing investment on
health improvement of people’s health is also seen as one of useful strategy of
fighting poverty and ensuring the development of the poor. More expenditure on
health makes it easier for families to provide and access the facilities
without affecting their household income to provide other necessities. For
example if a child becomes sick the family must pay for the medicine which can consume
80% of their income. They must also pay for transport, hospital fees and time
off work to provide health care. If the African governments can provide free
payment and access to health for all the children then the families can be able
to provide some other necessities at household levels that are not affected by governance.
According to Foster (2005) a country can hardly argue to be developing when the
situation of her children is deteriorating, regardless of economic growth that
it may achieve. With reference to Zimbabwe the Herald of 20 July 2010 it
reported that more than twelve thousand children under the age of five are reportedly
dying every year on malnutrition whose prevalence is estimated by World Health Organization
at 35.8%.According to George Kombo the Director of Food and Nutrition council
this malnutrition is attributed to lack of proper breastfeeding, right foods
and safe water as well as sanitation. The cause of the Zimbabwean scenario is
that the government is not putting much focus on health that is providing safe water,
good sanitation, education on health to families is not being provided and the
facilities are expensive for one to be treated. The sector is also affected by
low remuneration to the health personnel who are not working properly because
of the mentioned factor. Poor funding in hospitals and clinics by the
government is forcing them to charge exorbitant prices to offer such services
and this is affecting the families’ potential to provide their basic need of
health. If government can put focus on the health sector, families will also be
able to play their part to provide the needs of their children.
(iii) Government expenditure on education.
Children
take education as one of the basic need in order for them to have a better
future. Article 3 of the African
Charter on the rights of the Child states that state parties shall provide free,
compulsory education and encourage the development of secondary and tertiary
education to be accessible to all. According to Chris Desmond (2007) if a
government cannot afford to support the care of children, as the long term
impacts on their education and development it will lead to greater future
economic losses. If the government can put attention on education making it
accessible for all the parents it will be able to provide some other needs like
food, clothing, shelter, protection among other factors. Families’ ability to
provide education depends on the government attention on that sector. For
example in Zimbabwe many children dropped out of school largely due to Economic
structural adjustment programmes, the per capita expenditure on education dropped
significantly with a total budget allocation declining from 6% of GDP in 1984
to 4% by 1994.By 2000, real expenditure on primary education had declined to 2%
per GDP.Parts of the reasons for the collapse of the country’s education system
has to do with the political systems that has gripped the country since the 20th
Century. Government can also use its budget to support other ministries that
have a lesser impact on the welfare of the children for example defense and
foreign affairs ministries. According to Kaldor (1999) In Angola both the
government and UNITA channeled the proceeds of mineral goods into arms
purchases and other states have become a de facto contractors of fire power in
their neighbors conflict, supplying arms or sending soldiers in exchange for a
stake in mining ventures in as in DRC.Under this circumstance one can conclude
that many African countries are more concerned on state security through
purchasing fire arms that benefit the few at the expense of the social services that carter for all including children.
(iv) Government
policies that affect the country, family and the children
The
government policies that are put in place also contribute to the families’
capacities, ability and effectiveness to provide their childrens needs .For
example the Structural Adjustment Policies that were adopted by many African
countries has affected many families and the children. Julia Maxted (2003)
noted that SAPS involved the restructuring which has involved cutting basic
services and reducing the size of the public sector. Inequalities have been
widened and the effect on the social fabric has been to make livelihoods more insecure.
Household and community capacities to nurture and protect are declining and
there has been a weakening of norms that protect children. SAPS exacerbated
existing inequalities and resulted in the impoverishment of large section of
the population. They have almost universally increased unemployment as civil
services have been stream lined parastatals privatized and small manufacturing
sectors are unable to compete with cheap imports, have closed and shed workers.
Cornia et al (1988) stated that the welfare particularly of vulnerable groups
including the children has sharply declined under this programme in many countries.
Policies which led to economic stress through high unemployment or even if
intended as relatively short term effects, have long term effects implications
because of the lasting impact on children. The children were the most affected
the loss of income and multiple strategies that were adopted by households in
trying to make ends meet affected them more. Real incomes fell and many
families faced sharply rising costs for basic needs such as basic needs such
subsidies on staple foods were abolished, prices skyrocated such that people
could not afford education, health and other essential services. The programme
had a gross impact on the children of Africa as evidenced by increase in child
labour, solidiering, prostitution and trafficking as a means to fend for them.
From the above assertion one can conclude that state policies have a greater
impact on the families’ ability capacity and effectiveness to provide for their
children. If the policies are child friendly that means the needs of the
children are provided.
(v) Peace and Security in a country
Families
work peacefully and can be able to provide for their children if the country is
free of conflicts. If the country experience conflicts it has a greater impact
on the wellbeing of children. In many African states civil wars, ethnic rivalries
and uprisings against the dictatorial regimes are some of the problems arising
in Africa. According to Kaikai (1999) Conflicts affect children and their families
which reduce their access to basic needs .For instance in Mozambique 68percent
of schools were closed during the conflict and in Sierra Leone 1736 educational
institutions of primary and secondary school have been destroyed. The long term
consequences of disrupted education are severe for countries in terms of a poorly
educated and labor force. A number of struggles were waged against
post-colonial governments who had lost their popular mandate, failed to deliver
development oppressed large number of their citizens, as in Ethiopia and
Mengistu.The privatization of war and the growth of parallel war economies has
exposed individuals and households to a whole new series of livelihood risks
and vulnerabilities. Lack of peace in most African countries has led to the
destruction of the most social services, infrastructure and impoverishment of
families, loss of jobs among other factors. This has a long term consequence on
the welfare of children. Families will not be able to provide needs to their
children because of the discussed factors in the paragraph. A peaceful country
that is governed well provides a good working environment, investment base, and
more expenditure on salaries, education, health and other children’s programs.
Given such a picture families will compliment governments’ effort to deliver
for their children.
Part B
However,
on the other hand families’ capacities ability and effectiveness to provide the
needs of their children does not have anything to do with the state. Neil .A. Cohen
pointed out that stable families ensure a stable society therefore the welfare
of the family and honor are considered to be of greater importance than the interests
and goals of any of its individual members.
(i)
Families’
willingness
Families’
willingness is an instrument that makes sure children are provided with their needs.
Some parents are rich enough to afford everything for their children without
the governments’ intervention but some do not offer enough simply because of negligence.
The role of the parent is to meet the child basic human needs that are adequate
food, clothing, shelter, protection and moral guidance. According to Polansky,
Child neglect may be defined as a condition in which a caretaker responsible
for the child either deliberately or by extraordinary inattentiveness permits
the child to experience available present suffering and or fails to provide one
or more of ingredients generally deemed essential for developing a person
physical, intellectual and emotional capacities. The failure to meet these
needs is considered to be physical neglect. Willingness of the parents is the
major issue that makes children to get hold of their needs.
(ii)
Family
size
Family
size is the other factor that contributes on the children’s welfare. In most
African countries many families are big due to reasons such as culture (polygamy),
religious practices (Apostolic sects), and taking children as a source of labor
and income. Large families tend to put little focus on children and provide
less to them. Most children experience neglect from their parents who will not
be able to support them with the proper basics. Large families normally do not
have adequate resources to provide their children. Small families are easy to maintain,
manage and provide for. Fewer cases are experienced of children from smaller
families who are impoverished. Household income can be enough to carter for all
the basic needs of the children.
It can therefore be concluded that families’ capacities, ability and
effectiveness to provide their children’s needs depends on the nature of governance.
Government expenditure on basic needs of the children makes it easier for
families to afford for their children. The welfare of the children depends on
the governments’ intervention. Although the government is mainly responsible,
families also have a part to play in providing their children’s needs.
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