POLOKWANE – The Community Law Centre in Seshego hosted a workshop on child maintenance and the law on Saturday.
The centre’s CEO and human rights advocate, Pat Molepo, explained that they wanted to help the community know their rights, particularly when it comes to child maintenance.
“Parents must show responsibility for the well-being of their children and ensure their rights, such as basic nutrition, shelter, basic healthcare services and social services are protected,” Molepe explains.
He said we could not compromise when it comes to children’s rights as they were important.
In cases where the biological parent of a child cannot afford to pay maintenance, other family members have to take responsibility.
When the biological parent cannot afford to maintain the child, the attorneys approach the parents, siblings and other relatives who have the financial means of honouring the responsibility. People are not aware of such measures and as a result children suffer from poverty and it is unnecessary, he explained.
Molepo said it was mostly women who did not know about these issues as they ended up raising their children without financial help from their spouses.
He said other crucial legal matters they will address in the coming workshops include children’s rights, domestic violence, human trafficking, consumer law, HIV/aids law, social security law and restorative justice, and court annexed mediation.
The workshops started at the beginning of the year and Molepo urges the community to attend the workshops and to make use of their services.
The Community Law Centre is situated at 1480 Seshego Zone 8, the other branch is in Landdros Maré Street, Polokwane, in the Pioneer Building office number 303 and 304.
Operating hours: 08:00 until 16:00 Monday to Friday. They can be reached at (015) 291 5128 for any enquiries.
