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 9. Review with the view to reducing the prescribed fees charged when one is applying for citizenship by registration in order to accommodate people who have lived in Zimbabwe all their lives as opposed to those seeking citizenship by registration under normal circumstances. 10. Lobby for an increase in budgetary support to the DRG to address shortages of equipment and consumables e.g. ink, passport paper, computers, printers and vehicles. Administration of Documentation 1. Develop efficient systems of transmitting fingerprints between DRG and Criminal Investigations Department of the ZRP in order to address delays in the finger print verification process which is required for registering persons over twenty-one (21) years. 2. Adopt biometric system of registration and electronic storage and maintenance of past records. 3. Develop and adopt Manuals for processing national documents to curb the use of draft manuals that have not been formally adopted by the DRG, resulting in inconsistencies in registration. 4. Use existing information in the DRG’s data base when renewing or replacing documents and desist from requesting for these from applicants. 5. Computerise all manual (handwritten) birth certificates and IDs as a matter of policy rather than on application for computerisation at the instance of clients. 6. Implement the Devolution Strategy in line with Section 264 of the Constitution, to address the inadequate decentralisation of the Departments. 7. Advocate for a one-stop-shop for service provision by institutions with a mandate to conduct national documentation (e.g. DSW) to be housed at the DRG Offices in order to promote coordinated services. Gender Dimensions of Documentation 1. Use alternative supporting documents e.g. health cards and affidavits to address difficulties faced by women who give birth outside Zimbabwe in registering children where birth confirmation records are not readily available. 2. Formulate gender sensitive policies which take into consideration the gender dimensions of access to documentation, to address gender disparities in registration as women bear the burden of registering children in the majority of cases. Cultural Dimension of Documentation 1. Conduct awareness raising campaigns to address cultural impediments which hamper access to documentation such as difficulties experienced by women to register children in their maiden names due to cultural beliefs that children must carry their father’s surnames. 2. Enforce provisions of the BDR Act, which mandate relatives to facilitate the registration process so as to eliminate the cultural demand for outstanding lobola payment, which impedes registration in cases where the parents of the child are divorced, separated or one is deceased. Family Structure and Documentation 1. Amend the BDR Act to include new and emerging or contemporary trends in the family structure to address changes in traditional family structure so as to enable registration. 2. Develop forms that take into account the evolved family structure to cater for family members who can facilitate acquisition of national documents on behalf of children. Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Duty Bearers and Citizens towards Documentation 1. Undertake a comprehensive institutional and staff capacity assessment of the DRG and implement the findings to address the limited knowledge of staff on registration procedures that has led to citizens not being documented. 2. Retrain the DRG staff and re-orient them on the client service charters in order to address deficient customer service and the limited capacities on the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) to service delivery. 60 60