Mutare- Young people should have their voices incorporated in the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission (ZICC) Bill set for public scrutiny soon as they are the most affected by human rights violations by security forces, an umbrella body for youth focused organizations, National Association of Youth Organizations (NAYO) has said.
The ZICC Bill will empower citizens to seek justice or report any commission of human rights violations perpetrated by the security forces.
A draft has been published and nationwide public hearings will soon commence to gather views of the general citizenry.
When set, the commission will report annually to Parliament.
In a policy brief, NAYO said, “While commendable efforts are in place to take the youth perspectives within the law-making process through review of various Acts as the Zimbabwe Youth Council Act, this ZICC Bill yields considerable interests as the youth are among the most affected age group by the atrocities being peddled by the security sector,”
“Since 2013, government has been taking a snail pace in implementing section 210 of the constitution that mandated the state to set up an Independent Complaints Mechanism to handle complaints from the public against misconduct by members of the security sector (Constitution of Zimbabwe 2013),” it read.
The ZICC will investigate any contraventions of, or practices of security forces which do not comply with, the Constitution, a move described by NAYO as proactive as it allow the commission to initiate investigations before complaints are made.
It also said past commissions established to deal with atrocities committed by reportedly members of the security services where commendable, but were however reactionary to complaints of a national magnitude and where disbanded upon submission of their finding, citing the Motlanthe Commission of inquiry into the 1st of August 2018 post-election violence.
“By establishment of the ZICC, it is hoped that Zimbabwe will have a more effective security service that is cognizant of the fact that surveillance is placed in all its actions.”
Zimbabwe’s security sector has been accused of heavy involvement in brutal attacks and abductions on civil and political activists, including journalists in recent times prompting criticism of its behavior.
Observers are concerned by inaction by Zimbabwean authorities to reign in wayward officers.
