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Dialogue and mutual understanding
Youth Forum
August 10, 2011

Friday the 12th of August 2011 is recognized as the International Youth Day, a day set aside by the international community to recognize and celebrate the contributions of the youths to global development issues. The Youth Forum joins the world in celebrating youths this year under the international theme: "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding"

In Zimbabwe, youths have been involved in serious violence with their colleagues, violence that has almost always pitted youth against youth. It is disheartening to note that whilst young people posses a lot of energy that could be used to further develop our beloved nation, they use this energy to maim and obliterate each other. The main reason why violence amongst young people will continue unabated is due to lack of political will from relevant authorities to address the entanglement. With senior politicians preaching violence day and night, it is only natural that youths will continue to engage in pugnacity. The Global Political Agreement (GPA) in Article 18.5(c) states that "the Government shall apply the laws of the country fully and impartially in bringing all perpetrators of politically motivated violence to book". Bringing all previous perpetrators to book will ensure that potential future perpetrators are discouraged from engaging in violence but instead engage in dialogue and mutual understanding.

The GPA again in Article 7 section 7.1(c) also says that the Government "shall give consideration to setting up of a mechanism to properly advise on what measures might be necessary and practicable to achieve national healing, cohesion and unity in respect of victims of pre and post independence political conflicts". It is this section that resulted in the formation of the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and integration (ONHRI) whose main mandate is to achieve national healing.

The ONHRI has largely failed to deliver as many perpetrators of political violence are still freely roaming the streets and engaging in more violence with their victims living in perpetual fear. The Organ should engage both victims and perpetrators in dialogue so as to come to a mutual understanding. It is important for the organ to use methods prescribed by the victims and perpetrators and not to impose solutions on the mainly young people involved in the violence, only meaningful participation of the relevant stakeholders will result in true cohesion and unity.

In a bid to see the meaningful engagement and participation of the young people, plans are at an advanced stage to hold celebrations for the day by the Youth Forum. Youths from various walks of life will look at ways of urging the government to implement all the national healing agreements they have made. Also under discussion will be issues to deal with youth empowerment, participation in national processes, service delivery and violence.

Visit the Youth Forum fact sheet

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