The Committee also notes that the Basic Education Assistance Module, program to
support the education of orphaned and vulnerable children, is based in the Department
of Social Welfare. There are instances where school fees from this support are not
disbursed on time forcing children to enroll late or to stay out of school. Hence, the
Committee observes that there needs to be coordination among actors that manage
safety net programs for education.
In relation to education for children with disabilities, the Committee notes that Education
Amendment Bill intends to require schools to have the necessary facilities to respond to
the needs of children with disabilities. However, currently schools are not disability friendly
and there is lack of teachers trained for special needs education.
7.8.
Special measures of protection
i.
Refugee/asylum seeking children: The Committee observes that there are
outlined tools on the treatment of asylum seeking children and other children
who need reunification and that there are guidelines developed for international
referral/reunification. Children are put in alternative care when they need
psychological support and return is undertaken through return referral letter.
The Committee also learns that there is an operational referral mechanism as
well as family tracing and reunification. The Committee further notes that the
Government escorts a child who is being returned or reunified up to the border
and the other country will receive the in international reunification procedure.
To smoothen the support for children on the move, the State Party has
established a tripartite relationship between Immigration, Department of Child
Welfare and the office of the Registrar General. Moreover, the Committee
observes that the Government of Zimbabwe actively engages on cross border
coordination mechanisms and allocates budget for such collaborations.
ii.
Children in conflict with the law: The Committee was informed that there is
a pre-trial diversion program and separate correctional services for children,
hence children are not imprisoned or detained with adults. At every police
station, there is a division that deals with children in conflict with the law and
children are not arrested until investigations are carried out. Furthermore, the
case of children in conflict with the law is not dealt with the ordinary court; rather
a committee established for this purpose decides what punishments should be
applied on a child in conflict with the law. The pre-trial diversion program is
provided in a policy document and the Child Justice Bill provides for the same
and thereby gives it a legal basis once adopted. The Committee was also
informed that life imprisonment has never been pronounced against children in
conflict with the law. In cases where detention of children has been pronounced
as a sentence, children in conflict with the law are not imprisoned but detained
in separate facilities than adults where they get access to education which is
the same as the national curriculum.
Despite the above-mentioned efforts, the Committee was informed that during
the recent public demonstrations, children were arrested, subjected to ordinary
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