Zimbabwe made commitments- global, regional and national- towards the fulfilment of the right to social protection for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) by ratifying international conventions and other regional instruments. Whilst such commitments are commendable, Zimbabwe has faced challenges in translating such commitments into actual deliverables. Currently, child protection mechanisms for OVC in Zimbabwe include, amongst others, Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), through which tuition fees, levy and examination fees assistance is provided to vulnerable children. The other social protection mechanisms are the food aid programme, public works programmes and the National Strategy on Children in Difficult Circumstances. An evaluation of the current social protection mechanisms for OVC in Zimbabwe, among other things, reported inadequate intervention of the current mechanisms so as to adequately provide for OVC. This may call for new innovative social protection mechanisms, like cash transfers, to replace some of the current mechanisms so as to adequately provide for OVC. Social cash transfers are receiving increasing recognition as a means of dealing with the of OVC problem worldwide, and more recently in Africa. There are a number of African countries that have introduced social cash transfers for children within their jurisdictions. Notable examples are South Africa, Zambia and Malawi. Social cash transfers have a positive impact on the education, health and nutrition of OVC. Social cash transfers do not involve large sums of money, thus they may be a desirable option for the social protection of OVC and their households in low income countries like Zimbabwe. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

The study examines the nature and extent of child labour in Goromonzi District farms in Zimbabwe. The main objective of the study was to investigate the nature and extent of child labour in Goromonzi District farms. The study reveals high levels of child exploitation and abuse. A qualitative design was chosen and purposive sampling was used. Interviews were used to collect data. The sample consisted of 40 children between 7 and 16 years. Interviews were also conducted with the Coalition Against Child Labour in Zimbabwe (CACLAZ). CACLAZ is an NGO that specializes in the elimination of child labour in Zimbabwe through the provision of education. The study reveals different forms of child labour. These include children working in communal and commercial farms, children working in domestic set up and child prostitution. The study exposes some of the causes and effects of child labour. Poverty, increased cost of education, and cultural practices were some of the causes of child labour. The study also reveals gaps that exist in the LRA. In view of the findings, the study makes recommendation on how to curb child labour and protect the rights of children as enshrined in various international instruments such as the CRC and ILO Conventions.

The socio-economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe is breeding poverty which forces children to drop out of school and find a way to survive. Children in Zimbabwe no longer work for extra income to spend with peers or to pay for school fees, but they work for their survival. Therefore this is a study on child labour. Zimbabwe is signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child however, all these laws are not helping to mitigate against child labour. Despite the existence of child labour in Zimbabwe there has been little theological response. The current theological debates have overlooked the suffering of children through child labour. This argument refers to both academic and church theology. The basic theological argument in this study is that in order to protect children from child labour there is need to construct a liberative theology of children which focuses on; dignity, identity, love, justice and freedom. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

LLM / Department of Criminal and Procedural Law

Prior to 1990, very few countries in the world offered special protection to child witnesses interfacing with the justice system. There were no legal provisions permitting testimonial accommodations for children in court. The courtroom experience was significantly traumatic for the children. With the international focus shifting from protecting and upholding the rights of the accused in the courtroom towards a more victim-centred approach, various international and regional instruments have strongly dvocated that children deserve special protection because of their vulnerability. In order for the courts to be able to elicit accurate evidence from the child without further traumatizing the child, research has shown that the child needs assistance. An intermediary may be defined as a person who facilitates communication between the child and the courtroom in a manner that takes into account the child‟s cognitive and developmental limitations. The thesis was prompted by the need to make a contribution to the currently limited body of literature on the intermediary systems in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia by investigating how the systems can be improved and sustained in a way that helps to protect the child witness in court. Despite the problems the South African courts have had in identifying the appropriate interpretation of its intermediary legislation, the country emerges as a clear leader for the steps it took by creating a positive legal framework within which child protection issues are addressed and introducing the concept of the intermediary. This concept proved to be an inspiration to its neighbours, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The influence of the South African intermediary legislation is evident in the Namibian and Zimbabwean legislation. Although Namibian legislators have drafted laws that permit intermediary assistance in court, there are as yet no intermediaries appointed. In Ethiopia, although there is no discernible intermediary legislation, the country has managed to establish an intermediary system. As a result of the analysis conducted, it is evident that the efficacy of the intermediary system is dependent on the presence of an enabling legislation, its clarity and ease of interpretation, the sensitisation of court role players on child vulnerabilities, the significance of intermediary assistance, and finally a government's commitment towards the implementation process.