Zimbabwe: ‘Lack of IDs a human right violation’
Published: 11/Sep/2019
Source: Newsday (Harare)
BY BRENNA MATENDERE/JAIROS SAUNYAMA
THE Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has expressed concern over the high number of people without proper documentation, particularly national identity (IDs) cards and birth certificates, saying this infringed on people’s constitutional rights.
ZHRC is conducting nationwide public hearings on challenges people are facing in acquiring national documents. The hearings are currently ongoing in Mashonaland East and will run from September 23 to 27 in the Midlands province.
Scores of children of victims of the 1980s Gukurahundi massacres have been failing to access national documents such as birth certificates, national identity cards and passports because their parents died in the massacres. The most affected are from areas such as Silobela, Lower Gweru and Zhombe in the Midlands province and in the two Matabeleland provinces.
In Mashonaland East province, an outreach programme held by ZHRC recently showed that 3 855 people are facing challenges to do with documentation. Preliminary studies showed that most people in farming areas and border areas such as Mudzi are failing to access birth certificates, citizenship and death certificates.
Read further: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2019/09/lack-of-ids-a-human-right-violation/