The Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children (ZNCWC) on behalf of the Child Rights Coalition in Zimbabwe is deeply concerned with reports and evidence on the arrest and detention of children accused of public violence.
Evidence gathered from our member organisations working on the ground shows that children have been arrested and detained without following the international and local standards that uphold children’s rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), Constitution of Zimbabwe Section 81 and the Children’s Act. The ages of the children arrested range from 9 to 17 years.
We therefore urge and call upon the state as the main duty bearer of children’s rights to make sure that measures are taken to fully protect children’s rights. We further reiterate that it is the duty of the state to make sure that children’s rights are respected, protected and fulfilled.
There are measures in place that should be used for the good of children in conflict with the law such as pretrial diversion which is at the disposal of the state.
Source: Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children (ZNCWC)
