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 3.2.1. Demand for Lobola Payment “My wife died 7 years ago and my in laws are to refusing to help me acquire a death certificate citing pending lobola for their late daughter. My first child now wants to register for a scholarship but is failing because the death certificate is required”. Male witness, Harare Province 3.2.2. Un-documented Mothers “My mother is an orphan who never had a birth certificate taken, because of this, me and my 5 children have failed to get birth certificates. Even though my father had documents, I was still unable to be registered”. 39-year-old female witness, Gokwe North, Midlands Province. 3.2.3. Religious Beliefs “…the major root causes resulting in people not accessing identity documents, was due to religious beliefs…. In as much the RG has come up with some mechanisms to register children born in the apostolic sect, the people do not want to abide with such regulations to register children”. Provincial RG Harare, Harare Metropolitan 3.2.4. Use of Maternal Surnames to Register Children “When it comes to registration, women face challenges, especially when a child is born out of wedlock, because culture will say that the surname belongs to the man. They find it difficult to just register children in their names. They will say if he/she is to be registered in my father’s surname let me go and seek my father’s permission because they will say you are bringing a person who does not belong to the family”. Provincial Registrar, Mashonaland West Province. 3.2.5. Generational Challenges “I am an orphan and only child to my parents who passed away in 1998, before they had obtained identity documents for me, because my mother did not have a Birth certificate and ID. I am not aware if there are death certificates. I am married with five children. My wife has no identity documents as well as our children. The RG officials insisted that I bring relatives, or village head or councilor. The only surviving closest relative to me is my wife.” 41-year-old male witness, Masvingo Province I have two grandchildren whose parents died in a mine shaft. My children were un-documented. My grandchildren are also un-documented.” 58-year-old female witness, Makoni District, Manicaland Province. 3.2.6. Migration and unknown whereabouts of parents. “My 2 daughters went to South Africa and gave birth to two children, whom they sent back home into my custody. The children do not have birth certificates. I need to assist them to obtain birth certificates because I am their guardian. It’s been years since my children came home. My daughters do not assist in any way and they do not even phone.” 60-year-old grandmother, Khami, Bulawayo Province. “I do not know the father of my grandchild; my daughter left the child when she was still very young for South Africa. She has never returned home and is not in touch. The child was born in 2000 and the mother left that year. She was born at home. There are witnesses to the birth.” Female witness Matabeleland North Province. 3.2.7. Falsification of documents and registration information. “I was assisted to take a birth certificate in the name of my father in law. I now want to register my children and I am failing to assist my children because my documents appear as if I am sister to my husband. I want my children to be able to go to school and to work for themselves. I also want them to receive inputs and food aid. My father was a Zimbabwean and my mother was from Angola. When I got married me in laws stood in for me to get a birth certificate. RG advised that I should get my surname changed. My father is deceased and I do not know his relatives”. Female witness from Chipinge, Manicaland province 86 86