N AT I O N A L I N Q U I R Y R E P O R T ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION For Human Dignity Furthermore, the LRF recommended that, the birth registration process should be linked to hospitals where children are born so that when they get the immunization card they are also registered online, the Registrar should be empowered by law to summon any persons with outstanding birth registrations. The law needs to be amended to cater for children born in prisons by placing the obligation on the Superintendent of prisons to register children born therein or, alternatively, for the responsible Minister to be empowered to designate any such prisons with justified numbers of births to be designated as registration areas, CSOs should lobby government to eliminate any remaining areas of potential discrimination in national legislation on birth registration, advocate for the inclusion of single fathers in registration of their children and there is need for a rights-based approach to birth registration which is a right under the Constitution. Report of the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security on the Gwanda Community Youth Development Trust Petition on Access to Primary Documents On the 10th of December, 2018 a Petition from the Gwanda Community Youth Development Trust (CYDT) on challenges relating to issuance of primary documents was referred to the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services. The Petitioners` request was that Parliament should take measures to ensure the protection of the right to birth certificates and identity documents. In the exercise of its oversight role, Parliament was obliged to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of policies and practises of the Registrar General’s Office in the provision of birth certificates and national registration cards in frontier provinces, particularly, in Matabeleland South. This is in so far as to determine the right to a name and access to relevant documentation as well as downstream rights such as the right to education and other social services. The petition called on Parliament to recommend that the Registrar General’s Office adopts policies and practices that take into account peculiarities of border areas in ensuring that the rights and interests of children are protected and to call upon the Office to adopt measures that address the prevailing challenges in the affected areas. The Committee interviewed the Registrar General, Mr Clement Masango and visited some districts in Matabeleland South Province, namely Gwanda, Beitbridge, Plumtree, Maphisa and Kezi. Further to that the Committee also interviewed the petitioners to get first-hand information on what was obtaining on the ground. Apart from interaction with officials, the Committee observed the processes at the offices visited and also interacted with the clients. The challenges submitted to the committee included, withholding of Birth Records due to non-payment of maternity fees by health institutions, absence of reliable information on children`s identities, long distances travelled to access services, high cost of acquiring documents which included ferrying witnesses to RGs Office, long distances travelled to access services, double registration of deaths, generational challenges of non-documentation which is prevalent amongst communities affected by Gukurahundi, children with single parents and children born out of wedlock, lack of the necessary registration requirements due to inter alia lack of birth confirmation records for children born in Botswana or South Africa due to their proximity to border towns such as Plumtree, Language barriers and inadequate resourcing of the RGs Offices In view of the challenges experienced, the Committee recommended that, the RG department should streamline requirements for obtaining primary documents taking into account the peculiarities of border areas by 31st December 2019, create facilities for birth certificates at E.C.D centres by 31 st December 2020, and immediately reduce search penalties for lost documents. They further recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural heritage should undertake public awareness programmes on the importance of acquiring primary documents, conduct massive mobile registration exercises always as an all year round programme instead of carrying the exercise at specific times, give a special consideration to those who fall victim to natural disasters, decentralise the Registrar Generals Offices, continuously monitor and evaluate framework that enhances parliamentary oversight on the Registrar General’s Department and undertake ongoing refresher courses and training in customer care for officers so that quality of service improves. 69 69