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 WOMEN ” My parents passed on long back. I was raised by my maternal uncles. I was born in Honde Valley. That is where I am still living. They did not facilitate my birth registration. I am at home and my children threaten to assault me because I did not register their births. I approached the RG office and they requested for my parent’s death certificates which I do not have. I have a daughter who has been divorced by her husband owing to not having documents. He has considered her a chidhuura” – fake 55-year-old female witness Manicaland Province. “My failure to benefit from receiving food aid and inputs because of lack of documentation has created tension in my home with my husband threatening to leave me. He utters statements such as “zvikaramba zvakadai ndinokudzosera kuvabereki vako” – if it remains like this, he will return me to my parent’s home”. Female witness Manicaland province “our daughters with children out of wedlock are facing challenges of husbands refusing responsibility and in turn posing a burden to the mothers and children.” Headman Buhera, Manicaland Province INTERSEX “I was assigned as a boy at birth and acquired a birth certificate as a boy. At puberty, I started to develop breasts. I do not know what happened to the birth certificate which identified me as a boy. There is no provision within the law to include intersex as a sex category or to give intersex persons room to identify with the sex they are comfortable with, as their bodies transform at puberty. When I applied for my passport, I just went with the sex on my birth certificate and did not indicate I am intersex to avoid any complications…” 42-year-old intersex witness, Harare Metropolitan Province. PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES “My parents did not consider it important to get documents for her since she is physically challenged.” Male witness representing 59-year-old sister, Matabeleland South Province “There are 2 sub offices in Mudzi District and persons with disabilities living in the area would need to travel about 80kms from Kotwa to Rushinga. The distances are too long. Mudzi has a lot of rivers and streams, there is only one main road therefore if you are not living along the main road you have to use the side roads which are not levelled and travelling in the donkey ridden carts is not comfortable and causes pain which inhibits majority of persons with disabilities from approaching the RG offices”. FODPZ male representative, Manicaland Province, also representing Mashonaland East Province. MINORITY GROUPS San “San community is facing challenges acquiring national documents. We are situated far from the RG offices. The community is illiterate and ignorant not knowing the importance of these documents. There are 92 homesteads and over 185 people are un-documented. The nearest RG office is over 80km away. There are no San representatives in offices to speak on behalf of the community”. Thwai San Development Trust, Tsholotsho, Matabeleland South. “What troubles us is that even if we encourage them to obtain birth certificates, for them it is as if they are going for war as if they will be fighting. It is because when they get to the offices, they are asked several questions which they may not be able to answer. For instance, the date of birth, some of those people do not know such things and it is a requirement when applying for a birth certificate to have that information. It will be in a public office where one acquires a birth certificate and the same people are embarrassed that they do not know the date of birth for their own children and they will be asked publicly.” Male representative for Thwai San Development Trust, Lupane District, Matabeleland North Province. “There were serious knowledge gaps on the importance of just registering a birth, and worse still getting an identity card, across the communities”. Habakkuk Trust Matobo District, Matabeleland South Province. Tonga 88 88