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Remembering the Zimbabwean child on the Day of the African Child
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
June 16, 2007

On the 16th of June 2007, the world commemorates the International Day of the African Child a day which was set aside as an opportunity to reflect on progress towards securing the protection and promotion of the rights of all the continent's children. Every government has an obligation to uphold the health and educational rights of children and to protect them against any form of abuse.

The Zimbabwean government has failed dismally to uphold the rights of the child as evidenced by their continued suffering. A child is defined in the Zimbabwean context and by both the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) as any person below the age of 18.

In May 2005, the government of Zimbabwe started evicting people from their homes under Operation Murambatsvina (Restore Order) . Children and newborn babies were among the worst affected during the operation. It was reported that one child was crashed to death by rubbles at Porta Farm during the evictions by the Zimbabwean police. Two children died of pneumonia after being exposed to the harsh Zimbabwean weather. As enshrined in the ACRWC, Article 5, 1;

'Every child has an inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law'

The government must, by all means protect the lives of children.

Article 11 of the same charter states that,

'Every child shall have the right to an education'.

The Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) reiterates in Principle 7 that,

'The child is entitled to receive education, which shall be free and compulsory, at least in the elementary stages'

Children in Zimbabwe are not receiving adequate education owing to economic and social reasons. When the government embarked on Operation Murambatsvina, an estimated 300 000 children were forced to leave school after their homes were destroyed.

In addition, the economic woes being experienced in Zimbabwe have contributed to the mass dropout of children from schools. Primary schools in Zimbabwe are charging school fees of between $100 000 and $800 000 which falls above the affordability of most parents. Furthermore, school uniforms and stationery are beyond the reach of many people. With more than 85 per cent of Zimbabweans living below the Poverty Datum line (PDL) currently at $5.5 million, it has become a luxury for most parents to send their children to school.

Teachers are leaving Zimbabwe owing to low salaries and intimidation by state security agents. Currently, the highest paid teacher is receiving roughly $800 000 a month and this has led to most of them leaving their jobs for greener pastures. The most affected people are the children who are being forced to leave school due to the unavailability of teaching staff. According to the Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe, almost 4500 teachers have resigned since January 2007. Thus, children have been denied full access to education.

Every child has an inherent right to adequate health services as stipulated in the ACRWC.

Article 14

1. Every child shall have the right to enjoy the best attainable state of physical, mental and spiritual health.

2. States Parties to the present Charter shall undertake to pursue the full implementation of this right and in particular shall take measures:

(a) to reduce infant and child morality rate;

(b) to ensure the provision of necessary medical assistance and health care to all children with emphasis on the development of primary health care;

(c) to ensure the provision of adequate nutrition and safe drinking water;

In Zimbabwe, the health delivery system has dilapidated and access to health is a privilege which can only be enjoyed by the rich. Nurses in public hospitals have been on strike for more than one month now and this has led to many ailing patients being turned away from major referral hospitals and municipal clinics. In private hospitals, patients are being charged between Z$600 000 and Z$1 500 000 which is exorbitant and beyond the reach of the ordinary Zimbabwean.

The states party to this charter, including the Zimbabwean government are also expected to ensure that children are furnished with adequate nutrition and safe drinking water. However, this is not a reality in Zimbabwe as children are bearing the brunt of the harsh economic conditions. With more than 80% of the population unemployed, the children of Zimbabwe continue to be malnourished. Furthermore, water supply is very low and this has resulted in high risks of contracting water borne diseases by children.

Although the Zimbabwean government is a signatory to many charters and international statutes on the rights of the child, no adequate steps have been taken to uphold the rights. This is apparent in the way they continue to sideline issues which are developmental and vital to the development of children.

Visit the Crisis in Zimbabwe fact sheet

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