Social Protection or Assistance
Articles 22 and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that:
“Everyone, as a member of society, has a right to social security…. to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care and necessary social services”
Article 9 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that:
“9. The States parties recognize the right of everyone to social security, including social insurance…”
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 26)
“26. States Parties shall recognize for every child the right to benefit from social security, including social insurance, and shall take the necessary measures to achieve the full realization of this right in accordance with their national law.”
Social protection or assistance is a critical component in fighting poverty and responding to families that have been overwhelmed by disease, illnesses, conflict, war or other shocks. Regular and reliable assistance protects people from falling deeper into poverty. (Click here for details on the public sector responses in Southern Africa.)
Social welfare assistance may be provided as cash, in-kind (such as food) or as vouchers. Social welfare assistance is usually provided by the state to citizens who are particularly vulnerable or living in long-term or extreme poverty. Decisions about targeted versus univeral assistance should be based on the economic vulnerability that children and their caregivers face, potential stigma associated with assistance, available resources, and possible perverse incentives for taking in or abandoning children. Social Welfare schemes should be developed with community and child participation in order to ensure that programmes reduce vulnerabilities and that support reaches those it is intended for without increasing stigma.
Social assistance in the form of cash grants is offered in nations throughout the world (Click here for selected examples). Brazil, India, South Africa and Uganda have social insurance schemes for sickness and death, survivor benefits, and old-age pensions, which are improving the financial standing of orphan households. Social welfare assistance is an investment in human development that can reduce the number of child headed households, the occurrence of dropping out of school to work, and the number of child marriages.
Social protection may take various forms. (Social Security Programs Throughout the World, 2005.) Here are several types:
Old Age Benefits are for people who have reached a certain age (usually 65) and are considered to be unable to work because of their age; orphans throughout Africa may be cared for by older people and old-age benefits can help grandparents and others provide better care to children
Disability Benefits are for persons who are permanently disabled.
Survivor Benefits are for family members after the death of a family member. Usually the deceased had a pension or a retirement fund. Some of these plans provide one-time lump sum payments rather than ongoing support.
Sickness Benefits are provided when people have short-term illnesses that prevent work; These may include cash and/or health benefits, which are provided in the form of medical, hospital, and pharmaceutical benefits.
Maternity Benefits are paid to working mothers before and after childbirth.
Work Injury programmes provide compensation for injuries and illnesses that are work-related or that are caused or happen at work. These programmes usually provide short- and long-term benefits and include cash benefits and medical services.
Unemployment Programmes are usually only offered in industrialized nations. They provide cash support for the loss of income when a person is unable to find employment.
Family Allowances programmes provide additional income to families with young children so the family can afford to provide basic needs to all children. Besides regular cash payments to families with children, family allowances may also include school grants, birth grants, maternal and child health services, and allowances for adult dependents.
Table of benefits offered by nation in Africa. See pages 16-17.
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