Whose right is it to kill?

Many countries in the world have abolished the death penalty but in Zimbabwe it is still in existence. Zimbabwe is crafting a new constitution and COPAC has submitted a Second Draft Constitution and if it passes will undergo a referendum. In this draft the death penalty is abolished – but only for women. This has led to many human rights organisation calling for an absolute abolition of the death penalty. The Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender (ZACRO) an organisation committed to advocating for justice in prisons of Zimbabwe is amongst these organisations.

In Zimbabwe there are 71 people on the death row and three of them are women with the last execution being carried out in 2005. Elisha Chidombwe of ZACRO indicated that on each of their visits to Harare Central Prison they visit a guy who has served 15 years waiting for a resolution. Sadly he mentioned that many people facing the death penalty die before their penalty day because of isolation and the fear of death itself.

ZACRA believes that the death penalty is revenge and not justice. The organisation opts for the provision of correctional activities in prisons for those who would have committed offenses that carry the death penalty. The organisation is currently circulating a petition to present to Parliament to abolish the death penalty. They are hoping to get 2 million signatures.

If you want to put an end to the death penalty in Zimbabwe, contact ZACRO and make your signature count as your voice!

So much about what appears to be glib public statements on zero tolerance to political violence: “An election is coming. Universal peace is declared, and the foxes have a since interest in prolonging lives of poultry.” George Eliot, 1866

Get involved with a happening media/information organisation.

Global Voices seeks an Advocacy Director to run its online freedom of expression initiatives. Global Voices Advocacy seeks to build a global anti-censorship network of citizen media and online activists throughout the developing world that is dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and free access to information online.

The goal of the network is to raise awareness of online freedom of speech issues, and to share tools and tactics with activists and citizen media facing censorship and surveillance on different parts of the globe. The network provides support to both the Global Voices advocacy community and to others, produces and promotes educational guides about information technology advocacy, privacy and anonymity, anti-censorship and and anti- surveillance campaigning, and strategies for online organizing. In collaboration with software developers, activists, and citizen media producers, the network also aims to design and promote new and more appropriate tools to protect our rights on the Internet. Finally, the Global Voices Advocacy community focuses on building and supporting the rights of netizens around the world.

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Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition – Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Bill

When: Wednesday 18 July 2012
Time: 17:30 – 20:00hrs
Topic: 13th February 2009: Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Bill cut off date. A classical case of historical amnesia or a practical arrangement for a working Human Rights Commission?
Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Harare

Speakers:
Hon Patrick Chinamasa – Minister of Justice
Hon Douglas Mwonzora – Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice
Mr Okay Machisa – Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Chairperson
Dr Ibbo Mandaza – Sapes Trust
Mr Nhlanhla Dube – Movement for Democratic Change-N (Spokesperson)

Chairing: Mrs Grace Chirenje Nachipo – Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Vice Chairperson

Note: The Meeting Has Been Cleared By The Police

On World Population Day this year, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his speech said, “Women and young people who are in good health, and who have the power and means to make their own decisions about how many children to have and when to have them are better able to contribute to the development of their societies.” This is very encouraging to young people in Zimbabwe. To say young women and girls have no access to family planning is true largely because of society stereotypes and ignorance. Being raised in societies where premarital sex is rejected makes it difficult for one to make use of contraceptives before they are married. Our societies would take a big blow in the face and would find it difficult to call for abstinence if they were to accept that young people engage in sexual activities before they are married. Abstinence is the best and safest method, but on the ground we have young people engaging themselves in risky sexual behaviours. Which places them at risk of unwanted pregnancies, as well as contracting STIs and HIV.

In a survey of 14-24 year old men and women from conducted in Harare it found that 43% of women had premarital sexual intercourse yet 80% of pregnant students did not want to be pregnant. This survey also found that even though 79.5% of the young adults knew at least one method of contraceptive and did not want to fall pregnant, 87% of the sexually active women and 83% of the sexually active men did not use them at first intercourse. Further, 64% of never married women and 71% of never married men who had intercourse in the month before the survey did not use contraceptives. The survey established that the leading reason for not using a method was ignorance.

With increased access to family planning methods made available to young girls and women in the country, we can go a long way in reducing unwanted pregnancies in this era where the number of those abstaining is on the decrease. Yes we can argue for the young girls to abstain, but when they go back to the streets, to their friends and colleges only a few will manage to abstain. So its better that they be educated. I have seen and heard stories of women in colleges and universities who defer their studies after they have fallen pregnant. Some of these never return to complete their studies. PSI believes that, ‘Women have greater access to education and employment opportunities when they control their fertility, which can enhance their own and their families’ economic status.’

Community Radio Harare included this article in their latest newsletter, Talking Harare:

Some Norton residents are travelling 100km to Kadoma in a bid to resolve ZESA’s disputed estimated bills. An investigation by Talking Harare following a tip-off from Harare Residents Trust (HRT) showed that some households in Katanga, Knowe and Govans are receiving monthly ZESA bills of about $100.

If they approach the local ZESA office they are being asked to go to Kadoma where the ‘responsible District offices’ that have the authority to deal with such queries are located.

Kadoma is about 100km from Norton and residents have to pay $10 for transport alone and this does not guarantee them the reversal of the high bills. Residents who have been affected by this anomaly told Talking Harare that sometimes they are forced to make several trips to Kadoma and no solution is offered.

Others said they end up paying the high bills fearing to be disconnected of electricity or ending up spending more money.

In Knowe suburb, residents are also complaining that each household is being forced to pay US$2 as education levy to the Norton Town Council, irrespective of whether or not one has a child attending council school.