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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
BULAWAYO residents have hailed the proposed Children’s Amendment Bill saying the legal instrument will strengthen child protection rights.

They also appealed for the easing of the tight regulation on the issuance of birth certificates.

Pupils, residents and organisations made their submissions during a joint portfolio committee on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Health and Child Care public hearing on the Children’s Amendment Bill at Stanley Square in Makokoba yesterday afternoon.

The committee was chaired by Mufakose legislator Ms Susan Matsunga.

Other residents spoke on the need to strengthen rehabilitation centres to deal with minors abusing drugs.

A child rights advocate working at a local organisation, who identified herself only as Diana said the Bill was responding to obtaining challenges affecting children.

She commended the proposed law for criminalising the denial of health services to minors but added that there was a need to redefine some of the clauses within the law.

“The Bill is progressive; you can see the amount of work that was put in coming up with the Bill. It is reacting to the modern day realities that we face and I think that is commendable. I’m in agreement with the Bill that a child is someone who is under the age of 18,” she said.

“What I will also want to add is that the definition of medical treatment be replaced by medical services because there are other non-clinical services that the children might need. If I can make an example of a child that has been abused they might need to see just a nurse, they might need more than just treatment, so through the definition of medical treatment may result in the exclusion of other services that a child may require.”

Bulawayo resident, Mr Sibusiso Bhebhe said the new law should compel Government to establish Registry offices at health centres so that a child gets a birth certificate at birth.

“On issues to do with access to birth certificates I think there should be a clause that mandates provincial hospitals to have a Registrar’s Offices that will allow that once a child is born they are given a birth certificate.

“This will address issues of children without birth certificates. There are also cases where estranged couples use children to fight, including one with the custody of a child denying the other party access to the child. I think there is a need to criminalise such acts,” said Mr Bhebhe.

He said the law should also provide for a provision allowing parents to let their children to be adopted at birth.

Mr Bhebhe said this will prevent rampant baby dumping and make it easy for those who want children to adopt them.

Mr Dumisani Dube, a social worker, said there is a need to employ more child protection officers countrywide for the protection of children’s rights.

“I want to talk about foster care and adoption. There is a need for adopted children to be monitored by the relevant personnel and see their state in the homes that they would have been placed in. All these works are done by a child protection officer, so my suggestion is that in Zimbabwe we have 59 districts so we need to have a minimum of five to 10 child protection officers per district. This is mainly because there are a lot of duties that are concerning children that need to be done,” said Mr Dube.

Another resident Reverend Melson Ndlovu, said there is need to tighten penalties to fight rapists.

“I will say something that will make us laugh but I’m still thinking seriously on the kind of severity that could be done to a man who rapes a 12-year-old girl. For me jail is not enough perhaps cutting the penis and why do I say so? That 12-year-old child’s emotions, physical body and social life will be damaged. Imagine if that 12-year-old is given by God 70 years to live, so add 12 years to 70 and that girl will live with that for the rest of their life. So what is here in comparison,” said Rev Ndlovu. – @nqotshili