ZIMBABWE EZEKIEL GUTI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF HUMANITIES,

EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

R210398S Karen Chitamba

R211025S Salome Saidi

R211321S Hyvert Tevedzai

R210450S Sherrad Tukuta

R211042S Makanaka Madzimbamuto

R211065S Tatenda L Chinyadza

R211254S Mufaro H Muwira

R211309S Michelle Muzondo

R210358S Tadiwanashe Mudumi

R211052S Tendai Mudhe

R211138S Kudakwashe Mushambi

COURSE: CHILD WELFARE AND POLICY

CODE: ASW226

QUESTION TITLE:

LECTURER: DUE DATE: 17 MARCH 2023

LECTURER’S COMMENT……………………………………………………………………….

MARK: ………………. SIGNATURE………………......

Zimbabwe has been successful in upholding children’s rights since the ratification of the
UNCRC in September 1990.The government implemented numerous policies to address the
protection and Survival of children in Zimbabwe .Through introducing these policies they were
able to uphold certain Rights which includes right to education, right to health, right to identity ,.
Despite ratifying the UNCRC And having polices and laws that govern the rights and well being
of children , children in Zimbabwe still Suffer from the effects of gender based violence, child
labor, child marriage hence undermining the Rights of children and not upholding the objective
of the UNCRC .Hence a weakness on the government of Zimbabwe in upholding children’s
rights

The government of Zimbabwe has been successful upholding children’s rights by providing free
education since the ratification of the UNCRC in September 1990.Free education is education
funded through gobbling spending or charitable organizations rather than tuition funding.This
can be supported by the Facebook that secondary education should be available to all children.A
good example is free education offered by the ministry of labor and social welfare to the children
who stay at Chambuta refugee camp in Chiredzi, they are offered school fees and upkeep by the
state. Some of these children learn at Gutu high school in Masvingo.Apart from free education,
they are taught skills over the holidays like building,carpentry etc .This support they right to
education helping to develop their personality in life.However, some children do not have the
privilege to free education as supported in most rural areas as children do not have the resources
to go to school which then leads to child marriages.Hence, the government of Zimbabwe has
been successfully in upholding children’s rights by providing education since the ratification of
the UNCRC in September 1990

Since ratifying the UNCRC in September 1990, the Government of Zimbabwe has been
successful in defending children's rights and giving children the right to identity. Parents in
Zimbabwe are required to register their children in the country's national registry. The new
constitution stipulates that Zimbabweans must have easy access to birth certificates, identity
cards and passports. Despite this law, many children in rural Zimbabwe remain unidentified.
Some children were born at home, others could not pay the bills. For example, in 2015, an
organization called Justice for Children Trust found 718 children left without birth certificates
(Mazvarirwofa, 2017). Therefore, children cannot enroll in school or take state exams that
prepare them for future educational levels. As such, the Zimbabwe government has tried to
protect children's right to identity, but there are some restrictions. 

Zimbabwe has been greatly credited on its approach to uphold the child's right to the best
possible health in as far as the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC)
1990 is concerned. Children in Zimbabwe are provided with free medication and vaccination .
Though the Children’s act of Zimbabwe which also put the best interest of the child like
healthcare and safety paramount .some adults vaccinations are also for free for instance
vaccinations for covid and polio .UNCRC article 24 states that every child has the right to best
possible health and the government must provide good quality health care .therefore Zimbabwe
was successful in upholding the rights of children as it offers health facilities for infant and
vaccinations for everyone for free

The government of Zimbabwe has been successful in upholding children's rights since the
ratification of the UNCRC in September 1990 as it protect children from abuse ,sexual abuse
and child marriage .Zimbabwe has legal and policy framework to protect the rights f the child
with his or her parents . These rights are enshrined in the children's act and the constitution
paragraph (i ) section 2 of sec 81 of the constitution .Marriage and the betrothal of girl and boy
had been prohibitate through the constitution (Sibanda M 2011).Zimbabwe had been
progressive in the constitution which enshrines gender equality and which provide for
justifiable rights .An elaborate array of children's rights enjoy constitution protection .Section
78 of the constitution (marriage rights) sets a minimum age for marriage at 18,and prohibits
forced marriage .The police ,communities and NGOs have agreed not to indulge into child
marriage therefore the government has come up with a legislation act to protect the girl
child ,if a child is abused or married the perpetrator is jailed even if there were in a relationship.
The Zimbabwe government has been successful in upholding children's rights since the
ratification of the UNCRC in September 1990 as it addressed issue of child labour. The
government ratified the international labor organization which sets 18 as the minimum age for
workers doing hazardious labour by ratifying the policy the government aimed at upholding
childrens rights like education in line with the UNCRC However the policy is not working
despite being put into action due to economic challenges in Zimbabwe . children in Zimbabwe
are affected by the worst form of child labour . According to the Zimbabwe National statistics
Agency reported that in 2019 of 50,000 under 16s surveyed, 7190 were working in agriculture,
forestry and fishing and 5,4% were in the mining and quarring sectors"(chingono 2020).Due to
their families, inability to adquately provide them, children have little choice but to engage in
child labour .For example,thousands of children have been involved in the mining sector,
participating in artisanal gold mining,and many more have joined the work force with the
COVID 19 lockdown and closing of school.(Chingono 2020).Children believe they have no
choice but to complete this work in gender in order to keep food on the table .In 2018, human
Rights Watch published a report on the rise of child labour in tobacco farms.Therefore, the
government of Zimbabwe has some loopholes as many children in Zimbabwe are affected by
worst forms of child labour .

ln conclusion Zimbabwe has been successful in upholding children’s rights since the ratification
of the UNCRC in September 1990.The government implemented numerous policies to address
the protection and Survival of children in Zimbabwe .Through introducing these policies they
were able to uphold certain Rights which includes right to education, right to health, right to
identity ,. Despite ratifying the UNCRC And having polices and laws that govern the rights and
well being of children , children in Zimbabwe still Suffer from the effects of gender based
violence, child labor, child marriage hence undermining the Rights of children and not upholding
the objective of the UNCRC .Hence a weakness on the government of Zimbabwe in upholding
children’s rights

Reference

Nyoka Shingai (August 2021) Zimbabwe arrests after child marriage bride dies giving birth at a
church shrine

Reuters (August 2021) UN condemns child marriage in Zimbabwe

Solomon ,Salem and Mike Hove (January 2017)

Sunanda C Ray, Nyasha Masuka .(2017) Facilitators and the barriers to effective primary health
care in Zimbabwe .African journal of primary health care & family medicine 9 (1)1-2, 2017

Sibanda, M. (2011). Married too soon: child marriage in Zimbabwe. Res Advocate Unit, 1-22.