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Stop violence against children
Heal Zimbabwe
Trust
December 05, 2013
http://www.thezimbabwean.co/news/zimbabwe/69668/stop-violence-against-children.html
Heal Zimbabwe
Trust (HZT) is greatly disturbed by recent media reports that have
linked the Zanu-PF Member of Parliament for Kadoma Central to a
ritual kidnapping that took place in Kadoma during the run up to
the
July 31 elections.
HZT castigates
such acts of politically motivated violence perpetrated against
children. Fani Phanuel Phiri, the Zanu-PF MP for Kadoma Central
in collaboration with 5 accomplices, is alleged to have masterminded
and funded the kidnapping of two minor girls aged 9.
The rituals
were meant to assist him secure the Parliamentary seat during the
31 July elections. The subjection of children to such acts of abduction
and torture by political leaders is inhuman and degrading. The dehumanizing
act of attempting to make the children sacrificial lambs not only
robs them of their psychological and emotional well-being, but also
negatively affects their family and the society as a whole. Violence
perpetrated against children is a serious offence that robs them
of their dignity and violates their rights to survival and to develop
to their fullest as stated in the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child. The callous act militates against the Universal
Children’s Day Commemorations held on the 20th of November
2013 whose theme from 2011-2015 is “…Stop Violence Against
Children…”
HZT therefore
calls for a swift reaction by the police and judiciary so that the
MP is arrested and tried for the crime. Justice should prevail as
it will assist in restoring the community’s confidence in
state security and prosecuting agents. It is therefore every Zimbabwean's
responsibility to respect the dignity and worth of each individual
and commit to uphold the fundamental principles of devotion to the
best interests of the child, the right to life as well as their
survival and development.
HZT in the past
has recorded cases of politically motivated violence that claimed
the lives of innocent children and has left others incapacitated
for life. We call upon the relevant authorities to ensure that Justice
takes its course so that the continuous harassment of children becomes
a thing of the past.
Visit the Heal
Zimbabwe fact
sheet
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