2
Background:
This study was conducted as a preliminary to the launch of a Forensic Nurse training course, and
the aim was to investigate the understanding by nurses of human rights issues in relation to
nursing. The approach was similar to that used in a previous study of medical students carried
out in 2000 by the Amani Trust, in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Medical Students’ Association.
Methods:
A previously developed questionnaire was used, and modified for nurses as opposed to medical
students.
A total of 198 nurses responded, of whom 90% were women. The majority were SRN, and 49%
overall had post-basic qualifications. 33% had one post-basic qualification, 9% had two postbasic qualifications, and 7% had three or more post-basic qualifications.
Human Rights
90% felt that there were at least some universal human rights, but the numbers who knew either
the international or local routes for dealing with human rights violations was highly variable. As
can be seen from the table below, the sample knew about the ICRC, to some extent about the
UN High Commission for Human Rights, and obviously Amnesty International. The sample was
less knowledgeable about the UN Committee Against Torture or Physicians for Human Rights.
100
80
60
40
20
0
UNCHR
UNCT
ICRC
AI
PHR
The sample were interestingly varied in their knowledge about local human rights groups, as can
be seen from the table below. Both ZimRights and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace
[CCJP] were relatively well-known, but not so the other groups. It was interesting that the Legal
Resources Foundation [LRF], Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights [ZLHR], and Amani Trust –
that have all been very much in the press in recent years – were known by less than 50% of the
sample.
Amani Trust
Knowledge, attitudes and experiences of nurses on human rights, their violations and medical ethics in Zimbabwe.