Alarming rise in child abuse sparks calls for urgent action

Violence against children in Zimbabwe has reached alarming levels, prompting urgent calls for action, the global humanitarian organisation dedicated to child welfare, Save the Children, has said.

The organisation warns that children in Zimbabwe, alongside those in Syria, Mozambique and Sudan, are increasingly being exposed to risks arising from conflict, displacement and societal violence.

According to Save the Children, mass displacement, abuse and deadly violence continue to devastate communities.

Social media reports reveal a shocking rise in cases of children being sexually violated, beaten to death, burned, abducted or going missing — often at the hands of caregivers, relatives, community figures or trusted adults.

Citing the Zimbabwe Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019, the humanitarian organisation for children said the brutality was happening within a vulnerable historical child protection situation.

At least 5% of girls are married off before the age of 15 and 34% before reaching 18, the survey said, adding that one in three girls and one in four boys are vulnerable to sexual violence before the age of 18.

The rate of teenage pregnancies is at 24%, while 43% of children aged 5 to 17 are involved in child labour, with 13% involved in hazardous work, 26% in economic activities, and 4% in domestic work.

Drug and substance abuse among children is projected to increase by 40% between 2018 and 2030.

“The situation has evolved on the wrong side and cannot be tolerated,” Save the Children said, calling on the government to urgently strengthen and enforce child protection laws.

The organisation emphasised that Zimbabwe must fully implement its national legislation and commitments under the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This includes the Constitution, Children’s Act and Children’s Amendment Act, the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and other national commitments aimed at ending violence against children.

Save the Children also urged authorities to ensure the safety of children in homes, communities, schools and online.

This requires scaling up prevention and reporting mechanisms, including child-friendly reporting systems, community child protection committees, school-based safeguarding structures and digital

safety education.

The organisation called for swift and decisive action against perpetrators, alongside fully resourced victim-friendly systems to provide timely medical, psychosocial and legal support for survivors.

Measures should include stiffer penalties for offenders, accelerated national action on missing children, coordinated national alert systems, improved cross-border collaboration and support for families reporting missing children, it said.

“Scale up parental support and community prevention programmes. Fast-track the national parenting manual rooted in Ubuntu values, aimed at replacing violent disciplinary action with positive parenting approaches,” Save the Children said.

“Completely ban corporal punishment in the home, as some of the brutal incidents are happening within the home setup by people in loco parentis of children.”

It called for the authorities to invest in child protection financing while increasing national budget allocations for child protection services, social work, help lines, shelters, and community surveillance systems.

It further called on the government to strengthen partnerships across government, civil society and private sector actors.

“We call upon all stakeholders — community leaders, faith institutions, civil society, the media and development partners — to unite in protecting and defending Zimbabwe’s children,” it said.

“Every child has the right to grow up safely, to be loved and to live free from violence. The current levels of brutality against children are unacceptable and require immediate, collective action.”

_NewsDay_