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Source: 1 290 violations recorded this year:ZHRC –Newsday Zimbabwe

THE Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) says it has recorded 1 290 human rights violation since the beginning of the year.

The figure doubled from 438 in July this year, highlighting a worrying trend of human rights violations especially during elections.

Speaking during commemorations of International Day of Human Rights, ZHRC deputy secretary for programmes Vengesai Erick Mukutiri said the majority of cases were still under investigation.

“Just for this year from January to date, we received so many cases and we have grouped them into two. We have received 808 cases of human rights abuses and then for administrative justice it’s 432. So these are receiving attention at different levels of investigation.

“The first stage is to assess whether we have a mandate or the best institution to address the issue. During this election year, political rights issues dominated from the issues that we were dealing with, including court cases, and issues to do with agricultural inputs. So, the commission managed to deal with these issues made make sure that we hold the public officials accountable,” Mukutiri said.

He said most cases were recorded in Mashonaland West, Manicaland, and Matabeleland provinces.

ZHRC chairperson Elasto Mugwadi raised concern over the country’s elections which are always marred by political intolerance and polarisation.

“Much remains to be done to improve the human rights situation in the country and to ensure that a culture of human rights becomes ingrained in our society.  In particular, the commission notes that the polarisation and intolerance of divergent political views persist in our country, characterised by incidents of violence as the country is holding by-elections a few months after harmonised elections,” Mugwadi said.

He urged responsible authorities to respect and act on ZHRC recommendations.

Mugwadi said there was need for alignment of some pieces of legislation impacting human rights including the Zimbabwe Human Rights Act to the Constitution.

Amnesty International recently said there has been no respect for human rights in the country for the past five years, adding that authorities have exhibited a “brazen contempt for basic freedoms and shown that there is no space for dissent in the so-called second republic”.

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Source: Inside the life of an uncelebrated adolescent HIV mentor -Newsday Zimbabwe

These are adolescents who had become deviants with some being labelled societal misfits.

A GROUP of teenagers sat attentively and responded to orders accompanying their names as their mentor Abigail Moyo called them to share their experiences.

These are adolescents who had become deviants with some being labelled societal misfits.

 But for Moyo, changing their behaviour for the best is not a challenge as she has mastered the art.

“It is possible to change a child’s behaviour. It only takes patience and persistence to initiate change. There is no such thing as wayward and difficult behaviour,” she said.

Moyo is a Sister2Sister mentor under the National AIDS Council (NAC) programme which focuses on adolescent girls aged between 10-24 years in an effort to teach them on HIV prevention in Dete, Matebeleland North province.

The country is implementing a raft of measures in a bid to end Aids by 2030.

Moyo has become a mother figure in the society she serves so diligently.

 “I feel sad seeing a child presenting wayward behaviour, especially in this era of HIV and Aids as well as the drug use scourge that is destroying our society,” she said.

One of her male mentees, 15-year-old Methuseli Maphisa (not his real name) started using drugs at 12.

“He used to physically attack his father. We felt sorry for the old man and chipped in to assist and rehabilitate him. He is now quite changed and is doing very well.”

“This is why we say there is no such thing as failing to change children.”

Moyo has come up with positive solutions for a sad generation, which is weighed down by many factors including unemployment, substance abuse, poverty, climate change, among others.

Her current group comprises 50 boys and girls who she takes through an intensive year-long mentorship programme.

  The mentees are into gardening, chicken rearing among other income-generating projects.

 “I realised we have to train them to generate income at an early stage so as to ensure that they are not sexually abused by older men and contract HIV in the process,”  Moyo said.

 Moyo said the proceeds realised from their hard work is used to pay tuition and examination fees for the adolescents and as well as buying their personal needs.

 “As for Methuseli, I made him my best friend and will never leave him. He is always by my side. It was then easy for me to train him to quit drug abuse bit by bit. I was even worried for his health and took him for necessary tests and made sure he was okay,” she said.

About 35 of her mentees have gone for HIV testing, something she uses to motivate them to “keep safe”.

“We have managed to take 35 girls out of the 50 boys and girls for HIV testing. They know their status. We do not force them but just teach them. They voluntarily opt for testing. They are accompanied by their parents or guardians who would have consented to the testing,” she said.

Apart from HIV lessons, they are also taught on the dangers of drug abuse.

“If we keep them busy, they won’t go for alcohol and drugs and will also not have relationships with people older than them,” she said.

The NAC-led Sister2Sister programme, introduced in 2006, stands as a beacon of hope in the fight against the pressing societal issues. Its primary objective is to enhance the self-efficacy of young women by granting them access to integrated HIV prevention, sexual reproductive health and gender-based violence services.

By empowering these young women to make responsible reproductive health decisions, such as delaying engagement in sexual activities, standing up against child marriages, reducing teenage pregnancies and reporting sexual abuse, the programme strives to transform lives.

Zimbabwe is decentralising HIV prevention and care programmes to the grassroots in line with this year’s World Aids Day theme: Let communities lead.

Nearly 24 400 AGYW received US-led Determined, Resilient, Empowered, Aids-free, Mentored and Safe (Dreams) services in 16 districts of Zimbabwe in FY2023 alone.

Dreams support includes HIV prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to help prevent them from contracting HIV, economic strengthening initiatives, educational subsidies, and complementary services for orphans and vulnerable children.

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Source: 500 men receive GBV counselling –Newsday Zimbabwe

CLOSE to 500 men have approached the Padare/Enkundleni Men’s Forum for counselling this year, with economic and emotional abuse cited as reasons for their involvement in gender-based violence (GBV).

Police this week revealed that a staggering 16 444 cases and 31 deaths of women were recorded since January with men cited as the major perpetrators.

National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi revealed that 2 463 cases of abused men were also recorded this year.

Padare/Enkuhleni Men’s Forum programmes officer Meseli Nyoni told NewsDay Weekender on the sidelines of the commemorations organised by the Harare City Council this week that 483 men received counselling between January and December this year.

The commemorations were held with the main thrust of mobilising women, men and young children to support gender equality, while increasing awareness of gender transformative services.

“Men are abused as a result of failing to support the family and are deprived of their conjugal rights,” Nyoni said.

However, Adult Rape Clinic psychologist Kusowa Kanganisai said the majority of victims of rape are women and minors with a large number ranging from 0-15-year olds.

“It is very rare for men to report cases of rape particularly due to the patriarchal nature of the society condemning them as not brave enough. Men who come to report are minors who are brought by their relatives,” Kanganisai said.

He said rape victims suffered psychological trauma.

“Victims of rape need a social support system from the community they come from, for example, their family. As long as the environment is the trigger of the distress, the social system has to be looked into. Most of the rape cases recorded, relatives are the perpetrators,” he said.

Kanganisai also appealed to the communities to report rape cases instead of negotiating with perpetrators in their communities.

Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development provincial development officer Ernest Chimboza appealed to traditional and religious leaders to play a pivotal role in the prevention of GBV and some harmful practices.

“Some members of the society have taken to abusing young children sexually in the name of fulfilling certain cultural and religious practices,” he said.

“ZimStat [Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency] 2022 Census revealed that 133 455 women aged 20-24 years were married off before attaining the age of 18, which showed that child marriages remain outlawed in the country,” Chimboza said.

He said the increase in child marriages and cases of death of young girls while giving birth was unacceptable.

“What is more disheartening to note is that in most cases parents or close relatives are found at the centre either as perpetrators or as facilitators of the abuse,” he said.

“It is very worrying to find out that the same parents who are expected to ensure protection of the children are becoming perpetrators of violence, thus presenting a very complex situation in dealing with abuse of minors.”

The Marriages Act Chapter 5:17 outlawed child marriages by pegging the age of marriage at 18 and criminalised child marriages.

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