Mentioning this name to anyone who is an avid follower of Zimbabwean news what quickly comes to mind is human rights. With an outstanding law practice background spanning almost thirty years Beatrice stood out to be one of the most fearless women Zimbabwe has ever produced. Even her profile on wikipedia portrays a history of activism complemented with multiple awards for her work. Today she finds herself being bundled into a prison van and wearing a green prison garb similar to those worn by female prisoners in Zimbabwe. Some of the women who wore this same uniform are now free after she successfully defended their rights in the courts of law.

Caught up in her line of work while trying to defends the rights of Prime Minister’s staff during a police raid has led her to appear before a local magistrate at a lower court answering charges of obstruction of justice after a High Court order for her release was ignored. Prison time weakens some and makes other come out strong and I believe Beatrice’s incarceration will make her strong.

I used to read about Beatrice Mtetwa in the papers and my first encounter with this fearless woman was when I found myself at the notorious law and order section at Harare Central Police station. It was in the middle of a grueling and nerve breaking moment when she arrived in the company of members of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights team and I could see hope and confidence coming back to the faces of my colleagues, both men and women. Even though she was not assigned to our case she managed to come in to where we were being grilled to check on us. It was a tense situation, which no man would want to be associated with at that time but Beatrice’s presence changed the tense atmosphere.

In Zimbabwe lawyers like Beatrice have managed to defend successfully the rights of the vulnerable and as the accused yesterday she had her rights fought for by fellow human rights defenders. And if you value the work she has been doing show your support by signing a petition to set her free.

It isn’t hard to see who looks happier.

If you’ve got Internet access please sign the Avaaz petition to protest human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa’s detention.

Beatrice Mtetwa remanded to 3 April

Zimbabwe’s prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa has been remanded in custody to 3 April. Her incarceration is a national disgrace and an outrage.

Reuters reports: “Mtetwa was arrested on Sunday and and accused of shouting at and taking pictures of police officers who were conducting a search at the house of one of Tsvangirai’s aides.”

According to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, of which Mtetwa is a board member, her offence was simply asking the police to see their search warrant, and writing down a list of what was being taken by the police.

She has been detained along with four aides from the Prime Minister’s office.

In denying the bail application of Mtetwa and the four aides today, Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa said they would “continue to cause commotion and interfere with police investigations”.

Zimbabwe’s Education Minister David Coltart responded via Twitter: How ridiculous – where are the cartoonists out there – the diminutive Beatrice Mtetwa terrifying a bunch of huge policemen?

It’s hard to believe that Beatrice Mtetwa has this afternoon been remanded in custody until Apr 3 by Magistrate Gofa – in fact it’s a national disgrace.

Read this piece by Nicole Fritz – Director of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, published in the Mail & Guardian

Beatrice Mtetwa’s arrest shows all is not well in Zim
http://mg.co.za/article/2013-03-20-00-beatrice-mtethwa-arrest-shows-all-is-not-well-in-zim

Beatrice Mtetwa is paying the price of resisting authoritarianism – she is spending her third night detained in a Harare police cell.

“You know this has to be done, somebody has to do it, and why shouldn’t it be you?” That is Zimbabwe’s most prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa’s matter-of-fact explanation for why she does the work she does.

Some might say that doing the same thing over and over – as Mtetwa does in providing legal defence in virtually every high-profile, politically motivated case in Zimbabwe – and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. In the context of Zimbabwe, it is the price required to resist authoritarianism.

At present, Mtetwa spent her third night detained in a Harare police cell, ostensibly for “obstructing the course of justice”.

In fact, she sought to provide assistance to a client, Thabani Mpofu, a top official in the prime minister’s office when his home was raided on Sunday morning, demanding of the police that they produce a search warrant.

As Mtetwa explained: “The view I take is that [the police] have been obstructing me in my duties as a lawyer. I have a client whose rights have been violated, and I am unable to help him because I am now an accused myself.”

More revealing than the arrest itself were the developments that followed. Throughout Sunday police indicated to Mtetwa’s lawyers that she would be released. Only late in the day, when it seemed unlikely that her lawyers could secure an urgent court hearing, were they informed that police intended to pursue the charges.

As it happened, her lawyers – Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights – were able to file an urgent application seeking her release. The order was granted by the high court just before midnight.

Her lawyers then attempted to serve the order on the various responsible parties but were deliberately frustrated as police transferred Mtetwa from one police station to another in order to avoid compliance.

As of Tuesday morning, having spent two nights in police detention, Mtetwa remains in custody.

There are several aspects to note about the pedestrian illegality with which the Zimbabwean police conducted themselves: firstly, this was not a raid specifically directed at Mtetwa.

She was collateral damage – caught up in action directed at officials from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s office. There is no comfort to be drawn from this fact. Were Mtetwa to have been a direct target, deemed a sought-after antagonist, the police’s shameless flouting of the law might be more explicable. That the illegality regarding Mtetwa was opportunistic only points to how widespread and endemic the impunity enjoyed by police and the security sector is.

Secondly, Mtetwa’s arrest comes on the heels of a referendum to endorse a new constitution that, whatever its other limitations, contains strong protection of the rights of those arrested and detained. Constitutions are works-in-progress, to be given vigour and dimension by those who seek to uphold and extend their protections. Mtetwa might have been relied upon to breathe life into the new constitution. But without a clear and unambiguous departure from a past characterised by harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders and by impunity for Zimbabwe’s police and security sector, the promise of the new constitution will be laid to waste – its protections made impossible to realise.

Finally, Mtetwa’s treatment will not be unfamiliar to her. She knows well the modus operandi of the police. Mtetwa has described the experience of circling police stations on foot, calling out for her clients because police routinely denied holding them in order to deny them legal access. Only last week Mtetwa accompanied Jestina Mukoko of Zimbabwe’s Peace Project to Harare Central after police announced they were staging a hunt for Mukoko on the specious grounds of her running an “unregistered organisation”. In 2008 Mukoko was abducted by state security agents, tortured and detained for several months. Mtetwa has herself been brutally beaten by police on two occasions.

With Mtetwa in police detention, her court ordered release flagrantly ignored, it is hard to imagine that anyone can credibly contend that, as matters stand, there exist realistic prospects for free and fair elections later this year. But if concerned observers outside Zimbabwe can afford such enervating fatalism, it is not an option available to those inside Zimbabwe.

As Precious Chakasikwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights remarked: “For every Beatrice Mtetwa that these state agents and institutions put behind bars and attempt to embarrass, humiliate and punish without lawful cause, there are 10 other human rights lawyers waiting to take up the mantle.” As they must, if there is ever to be a different outcome.

Nicole Fritz is the director of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre.

Work in and for Zimbabwe. Help grow our nation. Check out the NGO job vacancies below. If you’d like to receive this sort of information, as well as civic and human rights updates, by email each week drop us a note saying “subscribe” to: info [at] kubatana [dot] net

Four (4) vacancies: OPHID Charitable Trust
Deadline: 31 March 2013

OPHID Charitable Trust, a local organisation established in 2007, supports the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in Zimbabwe, through the Families and Communities for the Elimination of Pediatric HIV (FACE-Pediatric HIV), a USAID funded- program. The FACE-Pediatric HIV program supports the MOHCW toward the achievement of its national strategic plan to eliminating new HIV infections in Children and keeping mothers and families alive: 2011-2015.  OPHID seeks to fill the following positions aimed at expanding the current national Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and pediatric ART activities.

1) Deputy Coordinator-Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment

Overall Responsibilities
In close collaboration with other HIV prevention, care and treatment programmes, maternal and child health (MCH), sexual reproductive health, and nutrition programs, the Deputy Coordinator-Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment will assist in the coordination and implementation of a comprehensive set of activities aimed at enhancing Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment.

Specific responsibilities
-Support and strengthen linkages between the National PMTCT and ART programmes in strategic planning, while contributing to the development of evidence- based policies, strategies, and guidelines that will foster best practices in PMTCT/EID/ Pediatric HIV Treatment and Care
-Coordinate strategies to address gaps in service delivery of the ‘postnatal cascade’ for mothers, their babies and their families
-Provide technical assistance, support and guidance on policy revision and capacity strengthening initiatives to prevent loss to follow-up of mother-baby pairs
-Contribute to strengthening of HIV care and management at all levels by providing relevant training to health personnel in the area of PMTCT/EID and early HIV care and treatment
-Strengthen community participation in PMTCT/EID and early HIV treatment for infants who test HIV positive, including care and support to HIV-infected pregnant women and their families
-Work closely with all relevant MOHCW departments and partners to ensure appropriate integration of PMTCT/EID with MCH and other services
-Facilitate and support programme reviews of Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment Programs by assessing progress, identification of problems, and making appropriate recommendations to improve programme implementation
-Monitor programme performance utilising established M & E protocols, prepare reports and documents when needed; and perform any other related duties, as required

Qualifications Required
-Medical doctor with Master of Public Health, minimum five (5) years experience in HIV and AIDS program management
-A qualification in Child Health/Pediatrics would be an added advantage
-Clinical experience in comprehensive management of HIV in mothers and children
-Experience in PMTCT programs is desirable
-Excellent communication, report writing, computer and analytical skills, demonstrated ability in liaison and collaboration with MOHCW, NGOs and health institutions will be a distinct advantage
-Willingness to spend considerable time in travel outside Harare

2) National Strategic Information / Epidemiology

Key Responsibilities
Under the guidance of HIV and AIDS M&E Coordinator, and in liaison with the National Health Information System, the National Strategic Information/Epidemiology will:
-Participate in the design and implementation of epidemiological studies and surveillance systems
-Participate in the development of operational research strategies in line with concepts and methods of epidemiological quantitative and qualitative research
-Monitor trends in key PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment indicators.
-Interpret trends in access and performance of HIV/TB prevention, eMTCT, care and treatment and respective new approaches that may be introduced in the AIDS and TB Unit such as cascade reinforcement and new PMTCT regimens
-Participate in operational research activities, special investigations and descriptive and analytic studies relating to PMTCT; interprets results and adapts to epidemiology programs
-Consult with physicians, educators, researchers, government health officials and others regarding PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment
-Prepare technical reports and participates in grant writing activities
-Determine and utilize appropriate statistical methods to evaluate and interpret data
-Identify and document good practices from evaluations and studies to be integrated into HIV care and treatment programming and policy

Qualifications Required
-Master of Science in Epidemiology (including modules on advanced epidemiology and
medical statistics)
-At least 5 years experience in data collection, management, and epidemiological analysis
-Experience in HIV, PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment is preferred
-Experience with design, supervision and analysis of operational research initiatives
-Practical knowledge of software packages for database management and
statistical analysis (e.g. EpiData and Stata)
-Excellent writing, documentation and reporting skills

3) PMTCT Program Officer (Training)

Key Responsibilities
Seconded to the national PMTCT unit, and under the guidance of National PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment Coordinator, the PMTCT Program Officer (Training) will:
-Assist the national PMTCT program to implement and scale-up of activities aimed at reducing the risk of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV
-Assist with the development and implementation of the didactic and practical on-job training of health care workers involved in the PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment Program
-Strengthen training capacity at national level in support of the roll-out of more efficacious regimen for PMTCT (MER) and Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV (EID)
-Assist with the development of integrated PMTCT training materials (as well as M&E tools) in collaboration with relevant MOHCW departments, partners: public, private and NGOs and others
-Work with provinces to ensure that PMTCT ARV regimens and Early infant HIV diagnosis(EID) interventions are scaled up to comprehensive PMTCT sites
-Support development of standardized national clinical mentorship and supervision to PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment sites
-Support, supervise and monitor the quality of all PMTCT training courses, including the more efficacious regimen for PMTCT, Rapid HIV testing, Provider Initiated Testing and Counseling for Children and Early infant HIV diagnosis for HIV-exposed children.
-Facilitate development and maintenance of a training data base of all health workers trained as well as trainers of trainers in PMTCT
-Perform other duties as delegated by the National AIDS and TB Coordinator through the National PMTCT Coordinator

Required Qualifications
-A recognized Health degree
-Postgraduate Degree in Public Health (MPH) or relevant field
-Continuing Education in HIV/AIDS and Family Planning would be an asset
-Technical and training skills and competence in Reproductive Health, PMTCT including HIV/AIDS programs at National and or International level
-Ability to adapt and work harmoniously with people from diverse cultural settings and backgrounds
-Computer literacy in Microsoft office package and electronic communication technology

3) National Senior Monitoring  & Evaluation Officer

Key Functions
Seconded to the national PMTCT unit and working under the guidance of National M&E Coordinator in the AIDS and TB Unit and in close liaison with the National PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment Coordinator and other M&E officers, the senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer will perform the following:

Specific Functions
-Provide technical support in the development of M & E plans and strategies that addresses the HIV and AIDS Care and Treatment program requirements including PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment
-Support the development of  M & E tools that are aligned to national and international reporting standards and requirements
-Support capacity building of relevant cadres in M&E for the PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment programs
-Strengthen data quality initiatives and facilitate improvement in timeliness, accuracy, completeness, validity, and precision of data
-Support the rollout of the electronic data-base system to enhance patient-tracking and retention
-Routinely analyze programme data and prepare reports eg quarterly, annually and other programme reports in a timely manner to suit programme requirements
-Support  documentation of good practices from evaluations and studies to be integrated into HIV care and treatment programming
-Develop a regular review process with field sites to evaluate the utilization and impact of ongoing monitoring tools in order to measure improvements in programme quality including giving feedback to sites
-Perform any other relevant duties as and when required

Qualifications Required
-A post graduate degree in statistics or computer science is required
-An additional qualification in epidemiology or public health is an advantage
-At least five years’ working experience in monitoring of public health programs
-Experience in PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment is preferred
-A strong appreciation of the Zimbabwe public health system is an advantage
-An understanding of statistical packages such as SPSS, SAS, EPI- INFO, Minitab, and MS- Access
-Should have strong analytical skills and communication skills
-Be able to work under minimal supervision
-Willing to spend considerable time in travel outside Harare

All posts are for an initial period of one year renewable on good performance. Salary and benefits will be notified to short-listed candidates. Qualified candidates are invited to submit their CV’s, a cover letter, proof of qualifications and three current references. Clearly specify the position for which you are applying in the subject line of your email and on the cover letter.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Apply
Send you application by close of business 31st March 2013 to:

Human Resources Manager
OPHID
3 Rowland Square
Milton Park
Harare

Email: recruitments@ophid.co.zw