Generally the law must, among other principles, oblige the Commission to develop comprehensive regulations to support victims and survivors. These must include: Ÿ Establishing a Victim Support and Rehabilitation Committee; Ÿ Taking appropriate measures to reach out to victims and survivors; Ÿ Offering assistance in the aftermath of victim and torture; Ÿ Facilitating the provision of rehabilitation facilities including medical treatment, counselling services and general accompaniment for victims who interact with the Commission; Ÿ Taking steps aimed at the restoration of the human and civil dignity of victims in line with the mandate given to the Commission in section 252 (e) and (j); Ÿ Taking appropriate measures aimed at safely identifying victims and victim communities, and provide victims an opportunity, in public or of the violations or harm they have suffered and to clearly set out their needs and document their experiences as part of a national truth-telling, recovery and acknowledgment process; Ÿ Assessing the needs of victims and victim communities and make recommendations which may include urgent interim measures for reparations and relief measures or any other measures aimed at rehabilitating and restoring the human and civil dignity of individual victims or victim communities and Ÿ Taking appropriate steps to provide protective, legal, psycho-social and logistical support services to victims during the periods in which victims are involved in activities of the Commission. On the Independence of the Commission A number of aspects in the Act affect the independence of the NPRC negatively. Firstly, the Ministerial certicate as stated in section 10(7) is in itself an interference with the Commission. The Act's invocation of state security in trying to curtail the work of a Commission that is meant to encourage truth-telling regarding the past is a worrying affront to section 252 (c) of Zimbabwe's Constitution which mandates the Commission to bring about national reconciliation by encouraging people to tell the truth about the past and facilitating the making of amends and the provision of justice. This mandate given to the Commission is a positive step towards the realisation of the right to access of information enshrined in section 62 of the Constitution which states that NPRC Watch, Issue 4, May 2018 36 NPRCWATCH Why is there a need for a victim support and rehabilitation? Ÿ private, to relate their own accounts www.ntjwg.org.zw Standard 4 emphasises that the NPRC must adopt a victim centred approach and prioritise the needs of the victims. This minimum standard can only be achieved through a deliberate process of creating safeguards within the law for adequate protection of victims and survivors as well as reaching to and encouraging victims to be willing to approach the Commission and feel safe in the process. To take care of these concerns, the Act must have created a Victim/Survivors' Welfare Unit with a specic mandate of ensure that the welfare of the victims is prioritised.