Zimbabwe Child Rights Governance
Save the Children’s Child Rights Governance (CRG) work aims to fulfil children’s rights by supporting the Zimbabwean government systems and civil society to effectively monitor and implement children’s rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), while ensuring children’s participation across the spectrum. We endeavour to hold the government accountable for what it has or has not been done for the realisation of children’s rights. Key to the realisation of these rights is more and better spending on children’s rights.
CRG in Zimbabwe appreciates the importance of investment in children. The limited fiscal space and lack of prioritisation of child rights invariably affects key child rights ministries in terms of allocative effiency. Essentially, the Zimbabwean government is not in a position to adequately fund and sustain social protection for children such as the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM). In order to enhance investment in children in the ensuing environment, Save the Children and its partner, National Association of Non Governmental Organisations (NANGO) are advocating for a child friendly budget, that prioritises children and allocates more resources to ministries responsible for children’s issues and engaging with government on revenue generation issues to open up fiscal space for investing in children.
Good Governance Delivering Child Rights
In partnership with Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (MoJLPA), the programme supports Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) to meet the country’s reporting obligations on child rights instruments, namely United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) as well as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Further support is offered to enable for information dissemination to duty bearers on concluding observations and recommendations by the respective Expert Committees. Development of plans of action and implementation of these plans by respective duty bearers is supported. Technical support is being availed to Human Rights Commission in delivering on their mandate through the Child Rights technical working group. It is through the technical working group that monitoring of child rights can be effectively done.
Monitoring and Demanding Child Rights with Children
Strengthening civil society to monitor child rights situation in Zimbabwe and development of supplementary reports on child rights instruments is done through partnership with Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children (ZNCWC), the umbrella body of the child rights sector. Furthermore, coordinated advocacy by civil society for redress of child rights violations is supported through the partnership with ZNCWC which plays the coordination role of civil society.
Public Investment in Children
In partnership with the National Association of Non Governmental Organisations (NANGO), evidence on public investment in children is gathered. Engagements are done with relevant Ministries, including Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in advocacy for child friendly budgeting and expenditure.
SCI engages with Local Authorities through capacity building for them to meaningfully involve children in planning and budgeting processes and ensuring for investment in children within the Local Authorities. Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is engaged at school levels to support formation and strengthening of Junior School Development Committees (JSDCs) to enable them to effectively participate in decision making processes on issues affecting them in their schools. Capacity building of schools is done to enable them to embrace meaningful child participation as a critical component of school development.
