adminElita Chikwati : Senior Reporter
Child rights organisations have slammed political activists for using minors in demonstrations as “human shields” arguing that this violated the children’s rights. The use of children in Wednesday’s illegal demonstration by opposition activists led by Patson Dzamara, the brother of missing journalist-cum-political activist Itai Dzamara has sparked outrage with the Government, lawyers and human rights organisations calling for action against the organisers.The activists openly taunted the police in the hope of provoking an incident.
Justice for Children director Mr Caleb Mutandwa said adults should not abuse children, but instead protect them.
He said children should not be used in protests where they either did not understand the cause or were not willing to participate in.
“Children should not be used or forced to participate in issues they do not have interests in. The use of children as human shields should be condemned under whatever cause. We should look at what is in the best interests of the children.
“If children decide to participate or we assume they have decided to, then it is understood as they also have their rights to participate. They should be made aware of the benefits of the demonstrations,” he said.
African Union goodwill ambassador for the campaign to end child abuse Ms Nyaradzo Gumbonzvanda said demonstrations and conflicts were no-go areas for children.
She said it was important to protect the rights of children in all aspects.
“Whatever is being done should be in the best interest of the children. In the Dzamaras case, there is no motivation.
“The best interest of the child comes first. Children should not be manipulated. Obviously, the children also want the return of their father, but we wonder why the other children participated and if they were aware of the cause. We do not expect these children to get injured in the demonstrations. If it is a legal demonstration the role of the police is of protecting citizens. The issue becomes tricky when children are involved,” he said.
zimta chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said it was disturbing that children were being used in demonstrations.
“We do not want to expose our children to violence. We do not want to inculcate a culture of violent behaviour. We should encourage a culture of dialogue. We should not abuse the vulnerable and fragile minds.
“It is understood if children protest against something, that should directly affect them, but in this case it was a case involving an individual,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu said using children in demonstrations was as good as using children as war weapons.
“We do not want to support such activities. We should not take advantage of the vulnerability of children.”
Childline and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights representatives could not be reached for a comment yesterday.
Government has castigated opposition activists for using children as human shields in their illegal demonstrations, describing the move as a gross violation of regional and international legal instruments that regulated the care and protection of minors.
Wednesday’s protest violated Article 36 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights and Welfare of Children (UNCRC) which provides for the protection of children from any form of exploitation which includes being taken advantage of.
Article 8 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children (ACRWC) outlines that every child has the right to free association and peaceful assembly in conformity with the law.
Most of the illegal protests carried out by the activists end up violently as they usually stone police officers in the process.
The Israeli army came under fire from rights groups around the world when, during Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s three-week bombardment of the Gaza Strip in the winter of 2008-2009, the soldiers used an 11-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield, forcing him to walk in front of them at gunpoint and enter potentially booby-trapped buildings to check for explosives.
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