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ZIYON statement on International Day of Torture commemoration
Zimbabwe Youth Organisations Network
June 28, 2011

Today as we mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June 2011, we note with great concern the continued use of organised violence and torture at different levels of our society by different actors. We further note that most of the victims and perpetrators of this organised violence and torture are young people whom politicians continue to take advantage of because of they are economically challenged and vulnerable. We take this opportunity to reflect on and remember victims of torture in our pre and post independence error and call upon the authorities that be to institute measures of healing any wounds that resulted from these acts. These measures must be supported by the necessary legal and institutional infrastructure which must be tailor made to achieve justice for all.

We call upon the government of Zimbabwe for the benefit of its citizens and in honour of its obligation as a member of the global family to ratify the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. We further implore the same government to respect and satisfy the Constitutional provisions of Section 15 of the Zimbabwe Constitution that stipulates that "no person shall be subjected to torture or to inhumane or degrading punishment or other such treatment".

As we commemorate this day, we continue to be guided by the spirit of the Ukubambana Youth Peace Declaration by and for Zimbabwean young people in which young people through article 5 of our commitments resolved to " . . . .. commit ourselves to contribute meaningfully to the national healing processes, and further commit ourselves to reject being used as agents of violence in our nation." We futher commited ourselves "to the promotion of a peaceful and tolerant political and electoral environment to sustain national stability, prosperity and attainment of meaningful and participatory democracy."

On this important day as young people we also continue to demand, as we did through the Ukubambana Youth Peace Declaration of 24 September 2010 adopted at the Ukubambana Youth Peace Summit " upon the Government to adopt specific, measures to ensure that state institutions and state machinery are not manipulated by any state and non state actor for the purposes of intimidation, ruthless suppression of dissent, violence or stifling the voice of the youth. We further call upon the Government to ensure that State institutions and state machinery will serve and not subvert the will of the youth through a specific pro-youth regulatory framework of these state institutions and other state machinery."

We urge young people of Zimbabwe to remain resilient and continue to work for the development of our country, shun acts of violence and torture and convert their energy towards emancipation of our sector as part of our generational mandate. We must soldier on because our future starts today!

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