Protecting, Promoting and Enforcing Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom 1.0 Foreword by the Chairperson of the ZHRC It is my pleasure to present this Annual Report of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) for the year 2015. This report is being submitted in fulfilment of the Constitutional requirements, as provided for in Section 323 of the Constitution. The year 2015 was quite a mixed bag for the ZHRC. It had its ups and downs, but overall, the “Ups” took the upperhand. This Annual Report outlines among other things, the activities undertaken by the ZHRC in its programmes and administrative departments. The report also highlights the successes and challenges encountered during the year 2015. The year 2015 was associated with a lot of progress and success, courtesy of the resources from the government and development partners. There was an increase in the number of cases handled, outreach activities and mission visits by the Commission. This same year saw the ZHRC renovating its head offices at No.144 Samora Machel Avenue, attaining the vote status from the Treasury, development of frameworks and manuals to guide the Commission in discharging its mandate. During 2015, the Commission collaborated with a number of organisations on crucial human rights issues such as ending child marriages, environmental rights protection and institutional building. For the very first time, ZHRC engaged student interns on industrial attachment as a way of imparting knowledge on human rights and providing support to the institution. The year 2015 has however, not been without challenges for the Commission. ZHRC lost some of its pioneer staff members and amongst them was its first Executive Secretary Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2015 Chairperson of the ZHRC, Commissioner Elasto Hilarious Mugwadi who was appointed to the High Court bench. Furthermore, ZHRC has not been able to refill these vacancies due to the post freeze by Treasury. Nevertheless, despite the losses, ZHRC managed to cover significant ground with the limited human and financial resources at its disposal. Allow me to thank the ZHRC family for their commitment and hard work so far. It is my honest hope that this report gives a true account of the achievements made by the ZHRC during the reporting period. I also wish that this report will prompt the public, Government and other stakeholders to work with the Commission to guarantee to the fullest -the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in Zimbabwe. Yours Sincerely, Commissioner Elasto Hilarious Mugwadi Chairperson - Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission 3