residents after a NERA demonstration. The uniformed forces attacked some of the victims while they were in their homes, shopping centers and beer halls. There has been growing concern about the targeting of those mobilising citizens for protests through abductions and torture is a trend that Zimbabweans fear and loathe. This largely contributed to the number of victims recorded in September; a total of 1320 victims and 967 perpetrators. In July and August the victims were 647 and 1416 respectively. The September protests leave September as the month with the seond highest number of victims over the last three months. The effects of the El Nino induced drought are being felt more by other Zimbabweans than others as discrimination and denial in the distribution of food and other aid grows on partisan lines. This flies in the face of what is stated to be government policy where all vulnerable groups are supposed to benefit. International standards are also clear that food should not be used to advance political objectives. The right to food is recorded as the most infringed upon with 25 cases, the second most disregarded human right is freedom of association which accounts for 24 cases, followed by freedom of expression recorded 18 times and 12 cases of breaching freedom of assembly. During the previous month the right to food, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression also topped the list of the most violated rights at 18, 26, 4 and18 cases, respectively. Of late another trend has emerged in September where victims are subjected to enforced disappearance and torture and then discovered after several hours with injuries sustained from torture. The freedom to demonstrate and petition continues to be breached. Citizens have also been subjected to wanton arrests at times being hauled out of their homes to answer for participating in protests or the mere suspicion of having a hand. Provincially Harare has the most cases of human rights violations where seven different rights were violated (freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, right to personal security, freedom form torture, property rights, freedom to demonstrate and petition, and the right to privacy). The high cases of violations in Harare can be attributed to the incessant protests witnessed in the capital city. Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Midlands and Mashonaland East also recorded high human rights violations. The noted provinces are hotbeds on inter and intra party conflicts. Bulawayo recorded the lowest as the violated rights listed are freedom of expression and the right to food. See Annex 2 for other facts and figures. There are fundamental rights directly affecting children that are violated during the course of September. These are reflected in 25 cases where the right to food is infringed upon and three where the right to shelter is violated. The Zimbabwean constitution prioritises children’s rights in section 19 (2), which says the state has undertaken to ensure that children have shelter and basic nutrition. The food violations and cases of unlawful evictions deny children some of their constitutionally guaranteed rights. 6