THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT |ZIMBABWE I 2017 Children’s Rights Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) recorded 42 772 violations targeting teachers while 48 200 violations were recorded targeting school children. Children’s right to education which is guaranteed in section 75 of the Constitution was also violated by school authorities who were either withholding results or sending children away for not paying school fees. Child labour remained a challenge with reports of children being forced to drop out of school to supplement family income as farm workers or vendors. Despite progressive constitutional provisions on children’s rights, there was no considerable progress towards realization of these rights in 2017. In January 2016, the Constitutional Court outlawed child marriages in Zimbabwe.47 However, the government is still to repeal marriage laws in line with this ruling. As such, child marriages continued to be witnessed in 2017. According to Justice for Children, child sexual abuse cases for 2017 amounted to 106 with rape accounting for 37% of the cases. In 2017 Amalgamated Specific Cases On 4 July 2017, the headmistress of Avila Primary School, in Nyanga North, Manicaland province turned away three quarters of the school children over non-payment of fees. 48 On 5 July 2017, the headmaster of Mvurwi Primary School, Mr. Richard Mudavanhu turned away school children over non-payment of fees. 49 On 3 August 2017, Macrode Kariwo, a 9-year-old girl in grade 3 at Forrester J primary school was barred from attending school since the beginning of second term by the school head Mr. Takwara Ngoche. The headmaster reportedly asked Mr. Nicholas Kariwo the father of the child to enroll his daughter elsewhere or have her stay at home as she is “very dull in class” and visually impaired. 50 In Manicaland, Mashonaland and Masvingo Provinces, schools and teachers were forced to contribute funding for ZANU-PF functions. Credit: Andrew Shiva Judgment No. CCZ 12/2015 48 Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Monthly Political and Human Rights Violations Report, July 2017, available on http://www.hrforumzim.org/publications/ 49 Ibid 50 Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Monthly Political and Human Rights Violations Report, August 2017, available on http://www.hrforumzim.org/publications/ 47 35