18 nutritional needs of such women and women who are breastfeeding in detention must be met. • Give access to the facilities and resources needed for childcare, including nutritional and sanitary products, to women with babies or small children. • State authorities must not refuse special consideration to the needs of women who are pregnant or mothers or carers of children (as well as the needs of children detained with their mothers) or justify such refusal arbitrarily as a punitive measure. • Give support to families of detained women human rights defenders, where needed, while the women are in custody. In respect of law reform to fully protect the rights of women human rights defenders, the government should: • Repeal or amend sections of the Public Order and Security Act and other laws that place unnecessary restrictions on human rights defenders exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of association. All national laws should be compatible with the African Charter, ICCPR, and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. • Immediately ratify the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. • Invite the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa and the UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders to visit Zimbabwe to investigate the situation of human rights defenders in Zimbabwe. In respect of violations of economic and social rights of women human rights defenders, the government should: • Ensure that food is distributed to all on the basis of need, irrespective of real or perceived political affiliation, or any other factors or criteria. • Ensure that no woman suffers restrictions of human rights, including access to GMB maize, for being a human rights defender or because of her political opinion. • Address legitimate concerns raised by women human rights defenders, including reviewing government policies with regard to food security and harassment of informal traders. • Investigate all allegations of reprisals against women human rights defenders, and bring to justice the alleged perpetrators, state actors as well as non-state actors, including local ZANU-PF politicians. • Ensure an independent and impartial review of the operations of the GMB and its role in trade, marketing and distribution of grain in Zimbabwe. This review, which should seek the views of all stakeholders, should make recommendations for the future operations of the GMB and grain marketing in Zimbabwe which are consistent with Zimbabwe’s international human rights obligations. Recommendations to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa in his capacity as facilitator of talks between the government of Zimbabwe and the MDC(75) In relation to the current SADC mediation process, President Mbeki should: • Urge the government of Zimbabwe to implement the recommendations contained in the 2005 resolution of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights as well as in the 2002 Fact Finding Mission Report as a first step to addressing the human rights and political crisis in the country. • Ensure that, in the context of Zimbabwe’s obligations under international human rights treaties and other regional commitments, and as part of confidence-building measures in the current government-MDC talks, there is an immediate end to the harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrest, detention and torture and other human rights violations directed at human rights defenders. Recommendations to the international community The international community, in particular the member states of the African Union, should: