Children's Social Well-Being

Well-being has increasingly become a focus in policy and practice settings (Debbie Watson, et al., 2015).
There's growing attention to child well-being due to increased mental and emotional health needs, bullying, and reports like UNICEF's 2007 report indicating lower life satisfaction among children.

Social well-being involves freedom from basic necessities' want and peaceful coexistence with opportunities for advancement (UNDP/USAID, 2007).
It is a holistic term characterized by equal access to basic needs services (water, food, shelter, health), education, resettlement for displaced individuals, and restoration of community life.

It sustains peaceful coexistence, economic prosperity, and individual well-being.
It supports social stability by ensuring sustainable livelihoods, safe mobility, and community engagement.
Enables children to attend school without fear or disruption.
It helps communities live harmoniously by minimizing conflict, violence, homelessness, and socio-economic disadvantages, and aids in rebuilding the lives of those who have experienced disadvantage.

Establishment of a functional education system from preschool to tertiary levels.
Ensuring easy and equitable access to education.
Providing quality and conflict-sensitive education.

A milestone in human history created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.
Born from the global crisis of World War II.
A global response to prevent future atrocities.
A unified international commitment to human dignity.
Adopted on December 10, 1948, in Paris.
Involved representatives from diverse cultures and legal systems.
Global participation in drafting with consensus across nations.

Democracy is a common form of government globally, with most countries being republics with elected presidents.
The word 'democracy' comes from the Greek word 'demokratia', meaning 'government by the people'.
Democracy emerged in Greece in the late 6th century B.C.
In Athens, decisions were made by assemblies of adult male citizens (excluding women and slaves).
Modern democracy emerged slowly; in Britain, the 17th century saw a struggle between King and Parliament.

Initially, Parliament represented only a small portion of the population.
All British adults gained the right to vote only in the early 20th century after campaigning and agitation.
Selective franchise is a significant aspect of South Africa's apartheid history.
During Apartheid, only 10% of the population (those classified as 'white') could vote.
Parliamentary systems during Apartheid and earlier colonial governments were not guided by principles upholding the rights of all citizens.

South Africa is a Constitutional Democracy.
The Constitution is the highest law; no one can violate it, including the President.
Parliament cannot pass laws against the Constitution.
The courts and government must ensure their actions are constitutional.
All aspects of democracy are explained in the Constitution.

The Bill of Rights is a cornerstone of democracy in South Africa.
It enshrines the rights of all people and affirms human dignity, equality, and freedom.
The state must respect, protect, promote, and fulfill the rights in the Bill of Rights (Chapter 2, The Constitution, 1996).

Differentiating between a wish and a basic need is important.
Basic human needs must be met for individuals to live with dignity, forming the basis of human rights.
Activity: Consider material and immaterial wishes and their corresponding needs, linking them to rights.
Wishes and needs often align with Human Rights Convention ideas.
Some rights from the Bill of Rights may be overlooked or covered under other rights.
Consider what is needed to live a decent life and what others in different regions may require, considering what further human rights could be added.

Discuss instances where personal or others' human rights were infringed, the circumstances, and the impact.

Self-study activity: Reflect on the consequences of informal settlements for social well-being, considering articles about settlements like Imizamo Yethu.

Dignity relates to a person's intrinsic worth as a human being.
Judge Edwin Cameron explores the importance of dignity in South Africa’s constitutional jurisprudence, questioning its central role.
Jurisprudence is derived from the Latin term juris prudentia, which means "the study, knowledge, or science of law”.

Judge Cameron discusses Professor Catharine MacKinnon’s visit to the South African Constitutional Court in February 2010.
MacKinnon recognized that deprivation of dignity is often a powerful dimension of the substance of inequality.
South Africa emphasizes human dignity in its Bill of Rights due to its historical lack of it.
Educators are tasked with making the Bill of Rights a ‘living document’.

Judge Cameron’s paper explains the role of dignity in South Africa's Constitutional law.
South Africa's Constitution was the first to expressly outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The Constitution's articulation of dignity draws inspiration from Steve Biko's Black Consciousness philosophy.
Biko's influence is evident in positioning dignity as a shield against systems that diminish human worth, recognizing inherent dignity in all people.

Discussions of Human Rights and dignity must consider the social and cultural contexts.
Rights must be ‘lived’ to have substance.
Educational context is informed by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory.
Context and culture underpin Vygotsky's work.
Vygotsky emphasized studying humans in terms of their social relationships, experiences, and cultural tools.