Indicators for Children’s Rights

By

 

 

 

INDICATORS FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS

ZIMBABWE COUNTRY CASE STUDY

INVIOLATA CHINYANGARA, ISRAEL CHOKUWENGA, ROSELYN G. DETE, LINDA DUBE, JOSHUA KEMBO, PRECIOUS MOYO & RATIDZAI SHARON NKOMO

Appendix: Protocol Document

GROUP AND SUBGROUPS

ARTICLES

SOURCE OF INFORMATION

TYPE OF INFORMATION
GROUP: CHILD-PARENT RELATIONSHIP 5, 7, 9, 10, 14, 16, 18, 27, 29  
Sub-Group: State’s respect for parental responsibility  5, 9, 10, 18 Dept. of Social Welfare; Min. of Justice; Min. of Education; Immigration
Dept.; Min. of Foreign Affairs		 Need to find out:
1. No. of children in state custody.
2. No. of children redirected to the care of members of the child’s extended
family.
Sub-Group: Children are not to be separated from their parents against
their will		  9 Min. of Justice; Dept. of Social Welfare; Connect, Gracious Women fellowship Need to find out:
1. How are decisions arrived at in terms of separating children from parents?
2. No. of children separated from parents against their will.
3. No. of children with divorced/ separated parents step parents/ absent
parents.
Sub-Group: Right to leave state for reunion  10 ICRC and local Red Cross; immigration; Dept. of Social Welfare 1. How many applications for the purpose of regular contact and reunification
have been accepted and how many have been made since 1991?
2. How many applications have been accepted and how many have been denied
and why?
3. How many children in Zimbabwe have one parent living outside the country?
Sub-Group: Freedom of thought, conscience and religion  14 Min. of Education; ZIMSEC; teacher’s colleges; UZ (faculty of Education);
Children’s Parliament; Junior Chambers		 1. What is the number of children denied school on account of religion or
race?
2. Do parents & communities respect views, opinions and choices of children
(eg. choices of religion, choice of subjects in school)?
Sub-Group: State recognition of joint parental responibility  5, 9, 10, 18 Dept. of Social Welfare; Min. of Justice; Connect; Family Counsellors 1. What is the frequency of interaction between a child and both parents?
2. What is the number of fathers requesting paternity leave in Zimbabwe?
(And to what extent does the state acknowledge this?)
3. What is the number of child care centres in Zimbabwe, both private and
public?
Sub-Group: Right to an adequate standard of living  27 Dept. of Social Welfare; NSSA; Insurance policies 1. What social security systems exist for children and what state support
is there?
2. What is the total amount of support /social security etc. by the state
to children’s welfare in Zimbabwe?
Sub-Group: Registration after birth  7 Min. of Home Affairs; The Registrar General’s Office; Dept. of Social Welfare;
The Central Statistical Information; District officers		 1. What is the percentage of children registered out of the total births?
2. What is the total number of registration points in the country and what
is their pattern of distribution?
3. What are the fees required for registration?
4. Who is eligible to register a child?
5. What is the number of children born to single mothers and registered
in their mother’s name?
6. What is the number of children born to single mothers and registered
in their faher’s name?
7. What is the number of children refused the right to their faher’s name?
8. What is the number of children living with natural parents?
9. What is the number of children in the country living in institutions?
10. What is the number of children in the country living on the streets?
Sub-Group: Interference with privacy  16 Min. of Education; Doctors’ and nurses’ association; Zimbabwe national family
planning council; Connect; child counselling services		 1. What is the number of schools in the country (both private and public)?
2. How many schools in the country have the practice of opening mail to
students by the school authorities?
3. How many children in the country have had their virginity status examined
by the doctor/ parents/ other suitably placed persons?
Sub-Group: Education for development  29 Min. of Education; The Curriculum Dev. Unit; The Schools’ Psychological
Services; ZIMFEP; Zimrights; UNESCO; Teachers’ colleges; Faculty of Education		 1. Does the education system teach education for life?
2. What is the syllabus in pre-schools, nurseries, primary and secondary
schools?
3. How many schools in the country emphasize in their teaching tolerance
of ethnicity, gender and human rights issues?
4. How many schools in the country teach the mother language of the children
in their catchment area?
GROUP AND SUBGROUPS ARTICLES SOURCE OF INFORMATION TYPE OF INFORMATION
GROUP: MONITORING AND REPORTING  43-54 The National Programme of Action for Children; Min. of Health; The President’s
Office; UNICEF		 1. What is the interaction of Zimbabwe with the UN Committee on the Rights
of the Child?
2. Does Zimbabwe take the comments from the UN Committee seriously and monitor
progress towards meeting the international standards?
3. Does the country report on time?
Sub-Group:   Min. of Education; Min. of Justice; Dept. of Social Welfare; The Legal Projects
Centre/ Foundation; Msasa Project; Zimrights; CCJP		  
Sub-Group:   As above  
Sub-Group:   Min. of Education; Save the Children Fund – UK; Redd Barna – Zimbabwe; City
Councils		  
GROUP AND SUB-GROUPS ARTICLES SOURCE OF INFORMATION TYPE OF INFORMATION
GROUP: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEPRIVATION 4, 26, 32-34    
Sub-Group: Social Security 4, 26 Dept. of Social Welfare; The Social Dimensions Fund; Min. of Information;
UNDP; City Council’s Community Service Depts; NSSA; School of Social Work
(see Kaseke)		 1. What forms of social security exist in the country?
2. What are the various legal instruments that enforce social security in
the country?
3. What are the popularity of the various social security schemes that exist
in the country?
4. What is the availability and accessibility of the various social security
schemes that exist in the country?
Sub-Group: Economic Exploitation  32-34 Dept. of Social Welfare; Min. of Labour; The Central Statistical Office;
UNDP; NANGO; UNICEF; UNFPA; The farmers’ unions/ organisations – the ZFU
& the CFU; The Institute of Dev. Studies; GAPWUZ; ZDAWU; ILO; Mining
Industry Pension Fund; SAPES		 We will focus on the exploitation of children in commercial farms/ domestic
employment/ the informal sector as well as child sexual abuse in each area
of the above. We will also focus on the various measures in place or being
developed or articulated in trying to redress such situations – i.e. rehabilitation
facilities and capacity.
GROUP AND SUB-GROUPS ARTICLES SOURCE OF INFORMATION TYPE OF INFORMATION
GROUP: PROTECTION AND SURVIVAL  1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 11, 16, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34,
35		    
Sub-Group: Definition of the Child 1 UNICEF; UNESCO; Dept. of Social Welfare; The Central Statistical Office;
ILO		 1. Is the definition of a child in Zimbabwe clear? Are there no contradictions
in various legal instruments or statutes?
2. Do we have laws that define a child?
3. Who is or was involved in coming up with the definition currently in
use? Were communities and the children themselves involved in coming up
with the definition currently in use?
Sub-Group: Preservation of Dignity 8, 16, 37, 40 Dept. of Social Welfare; Zimrights; Msasa Project; The Catholic Commision
for Justice and Peace; Redd Barna – Zimbabwe; Min. of Health; Min. of Education;
The UZ		 1. What is dignity?
2. What has the state put in place to ensure that identity and dignity of
the child is preserved (registration, accessibility of the process of registration)?
3. In instances where the child is illegably deprived of some of the elements
of his identity how does the state provide appropriate assistance and protection?
4. What is privacy? (Look at child-parent/ community. State relationship
in terms of how it interferes with privacy.)
5. How does the judical system protect children (cases of juvenile justice)?
Sub-Group: Child Abuse and Neglect  19, 20, 33-36, 39 As above, but with additions of: Training, Research and Counselling Centre;
Connect; The Legal Resources Foundation; Women and Law; Southern Africa
Research and Development Centre; Dept. of Labour; Min. of Labour; The Central
Statistical Office; The UZ		 1. Are there legislative measures to protect the child from all forms of
physical or mental/ emotional violence?
2. Are the legislative measures being implemented and who are the custodians
of such legislative measures and if they are not put into use what is the
problem?
3. Is there a mechanism to identify children in unsuitable environment (family
or otherwise) and give state protection and assistance in the best interest
of the child?
4. Are there measures to identify and monitor instances of drug abuse, sexual
exploitation, abduction or trafficking of children? And is there rehabilitation
of child victims of the above? What is the accessibility of such rehabilitation
if ever there is any?
Sub-Group: Displaced Children   UNHCR; Dept. of Social Welfare; Immigration; Min. of Education; Min. of
Health; Min. of Home Affairs; The NPA		  
Sub-Group: Basic Needs  6, 24, 27 Ministries of: Health, Education, Construction; The UZ; The NPA; The Dept.
of Social Welfare		 1. What are basic needs in Zimbabwe?
2. Who defines them?
3. Are they fulfilled for children?
Sub-Group: Discrimination  2, 30 Min. of Justice; The CCJP; Zimrights; The Zimbabwe Council of Churches;
The UZ; The NPA; IDS		 1. What legal instruments exist that prohibit discrimination among children?
2. How does the government monitor discrimination? What indicator do they
use?
3. Is there discrimination of children of minority groups?
4. What mechanisms are in place to promote children’s own culture, religion,
and values?
Sub-Group: Economic Exploitation  32 Min. of Labour; The ILO; The ZCTU; TARSC; SCU-UK; The NPA; The CFU; The
ZFU; The Chamber of Mines		 See Social and Economic Deprivation.
GROUP AND SUB-GROUPS ARTICLES SOURCE OF INFORMATION TYPE OF INFORMATION
GROUP: JUVENILE JUSTICE, REHABILITATION AND IMPLEMENTATION  20, 23, 32, 37, 39, 40, 1, 4, 8, 9, 11, 17, 24, 25, 28, 30, 35, 38,
40		    
Sub-Group: Legislation  20, 23, 32, 37, 39 Min. of Justice; The Parliamentary Library; Min. of Home Affairs; The Registrar
General’s Office; The Legal Resources Centre/ Foundation; The Procects Centre;
The Legal Aid Clinic		  
Sub-Group: Identity   The Registrar General’s Office; The Central Statistical Office; The Dept.
of Social Welfare; Immigration		  
Sub-Group:   The School of Social Work; Min. of Health; Dept. of Social Welfare; drug
and rehabilitation centres; Prison fellowship;		  
Sub-Group: Primary Health   Min. of Health; Epidemeology Dept.; City Health Depts 1. What is primary health care?
2. What is the level of access to primary health care in Zimbabwe? What
is the level of immunisation in Zimbabwe against the major child killer
diseases?
3. How affordable is primary health in Zimbabwe? What are the user fees
structure like in the country?
4. What is the level of primary health education like in Zimbabwe, taking
into account the AIDS pandemic? Is there any education on reproductive health
rights for children and teenagers in the country?
Sub-Group: Resources   The Planning Commission in the President’s Office; Min. of Justice; Min.
of Finance		  
Sub-Group: Education  23 Min. of Education; The CDU; The UZ; Teacher Training Colleges 1. What education do children have about their rights in Zimbabwe? What
is the role of the state in educating children and its citizens about children’s
rights?
2. Does every child go to school? If not, why? In the case of children who
do not go to school, do these children and their parents know of the social
assistance that exists under the Social Dimensions Fund meant to help them?
What is the accessibility and affordability of education in Zimbabwe?
3. What is the law concerning education in Zimbabwe?Is Zimbabwe part to
the Jomtien Declaration? In Zimbabwe is education free and compulsary?
4. What is the budget (material and human resources) to education like compared
to other issues of the welfare of children and also other areas of state
spending? What is the pattern of the budget in terms of public and private
schools; primary and secondary schools as well as tertiary education? What
are the costs per child per each type of education?
Sub-Group:   The Public Sevice; The Planning Commission; Zimdef; Min. of Education; The
CDU; The UZ; The Manpower Surveys		  
Sub-Group: Child/ Economic Exploitation  32 Min. of Agriculture; The ZFU; The CFU; GAPWUZ; The ILO; ZDAWU; The IDS 1. What is child exploitation within the Zimbabwean context? In what sectors
of the economy in Zimbabwe do we find child exploitation? What exactly do
the children who are exploited do which is defined as child exploitation?
2. What legal instruments are there in Zimbabwe to protect children against
exploitation? Who or which departments in various ministries are the custodians
of such legislation and what practical and effective interventions are they
doing to the issue of child exploitation?
GROUP AND SUB-GROUPS ARTICLES SOURCE OF INFORMATION TYPE OF INFORMATION
GROUP: EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT  17, 18, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 33    
Sub-Group: Provision of health care services and rehabilitation  23, 24 Min. of Health; The Medical School – UZ; UNICEF; The School of Social Work;
The Dept. of Social Welfare; SAFOD; St. Giles; The National Council of Disabled
Persons of Zimbabwe; The Council for the Blind		 1. What programmes are there for rehabilitation and for what specific rehabilitation
concern?
2. What health programmes are there for children? What is their accessibility
and affordability?
3. Does the Zimbabwean state promote international cooperation and exchange
of information in the fields of preventive medical care and rehabilitation?
4. What practices are prejudicial to the health of the child (apart from
the religious and traditional)?
Sub-Group: Education  28, 29 Min. of Education; UNESCO; The CDU; The UZ’s Psychology Dept.; Teacher training
colleges; UZ Dept. of Education; SDF		 1. What is the availability and access by the children of Zimbabwe to nursery,
pre-, primary, secondary and tertiary/ vocational education? We need exhaustive
information on each of the above education sectors.
2. What are the enrolments like in each sector by gender, region/ city/
rural/ urban etc. and what are the attendance/ drop-out rates in each sector?
i.e. what is the gender equity in education in Zimbabwe?
3. To what extent is there financial assistance by the state and free education
in Zimbabwe?
4. How does the education system in Zimbabwe enhance the development of
the personality and the national character?
Sub-Group: Information  17 Min. of Information; The Censorship Board; Min. of Education; The School
Psychological Services; UNESCO; The ZBC; The Zimbabwe Information Services		 1. To what extent does the mass media disseminate information of cultural
and social benefit to the child?
2. How available and accessible is information? (and what information?)
3. How does the censorship board operate? And how is the information censored
child-centered?
4. Do children participate in information dissemination and what type of
information do they or are they allowed to disseminate?
Sub-Group: Standard of Living  27 The Dept. of Social Welfare; Min. of Health; Min. of Local Govt.; Min. of
Finance; UNICEF; Local NGOs; INGOs		 1. What is adequate standard of living? How do we measure adequate physical,
mental, spiritual, moral and social development? What is the general living
standard of Zimbabwe?
2. How much is allocated in the budget (i.e. what is the overall budget
break-down and for what areas of support)?
3. What is the contribution of local NGOs and international NGOs towards
the adequate standard of living?
4. What is the contribution of local government?
5. And what is the contribution of the grassroots organisations towards
an adequate standard of living?
Sub-Group: Drug abuse and trafficking  33 Min. of Education; Min. of Justice; Dept. of Social Welfare – the Rehabilitation
Unit; Local Govt.; Min. of Health; The Zimbabwe Republic Police; NANGO;
UNICEF; UN agencies; ILO		 1. What administrative, social and education measures have been made towards
implementation on the articles on drug abuse?
2. To what extent is there
drug abuse and trafficking by children in Zimbabwe? What measures have been
taken to arrest the situation?
3. Is there information and programmes to
educate children on the effects of drug abuse?
4. What international cooperation
exists between Zimbabwe and other nations aimed at arresting transnational
drug trafficking?

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