Financial security of child and youth-headed households in South Africa.

Abstract

There is a growing number of child and youth-headed households in South Africa. Illnesses such as Tuberculosis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are main factors that cause mortality and morbidity of parents. The indigenous South African family system that used to absorb orphans and care for them is no longer coping because many extended families are without parents. South Africa was the first country to give legal recognition to child-headed households. Thus, these households are recognised as a form of alternative care. However, children living in these households strive for survival in the midst of their limited means to generate income. Social grants are the main source of their income. Nevertheless, children living in these households are exposed to poverty. This brings about a question of the financial security of these households in South Africa. This study analysed the domestic, regional and international law applicable to the protection of the financial security of these children from the perspective of a human rights-based approach. It found that the definition of child-headed households exclude youth who also head these households, prejudicing their rights. Children in child and youth-headed households receive insufficient state support towards their financial security.