ALL South African children should have access to a special grant to protect them against absolute poverty, the SA Law Commission proposed on Thursday. This money should be available along with additional grants to address special needs and circumstances, it recommended in a review of the Child Care Act. The report suggests that tax concessions be offered to private clinics providing emergency services to destitute children, and says provinces should be required to set money aside every year for children requiring education without being able to pay the fees. Six out of ten children in the country lived in poverty, the document says. Project co-ordinator Noel Zaal described the report as an important milestone, and the most far-reaching initiative yet aimed at empowering and protecting children. It proposes lowering the age of majority from 21 to 18 and giving 12-year-olds the right to choose if they wanted an Aids test. This would also apply to children younger than twelve who were sufficiently mature, the document says. Twelve-year-olds should in future be able to give the go-ahead for medical treatment, except for operations. – Sapa