Zimpapers Logo

Organisers of last week’s violent demonstrations abused children they used as human shield. A number of children are among the hundreds of violent protesters that have been arrested for looting of goods and destroying property in the different cities and towns during the three days of demonstrations. At least 1 100 people have been arrested over the violent protests that rocked the country.

According to police, the suspects were arrested in all the 10 provinces with Bulawayo topping the list with 441 arrests. Police have warned parents against roping in minors in protests saying some of the hooligans last week used children as human shield during clashes with security forces.

The Chief police spokesperson Commissioner Charity Charamba said many children were involved in looting, acts of arson and violence. She said parents should not allow their children to participate in protests as they risked being used as human shield during clashes with security forces.

Comm Charamba said men who were usually the architects of violence placed children on the first row, women on the second row and themselves at the back. She said as such children were exposed to violence which destroyed their future.

A number of juveniles have since appeared in court in the different cities and towns and in most cases have been released into the custody of their parents. Last week’s orgy of violence resulted in the death of at least six people including a police officer.

Several other individuals were injured after being attacked by hooligans who barricaded roads and extorted money from motorists. A number of shops especially in the western suburbs of both Bulawayo and Harare were looted and in some cases after cleaning the retail outlets, the criminals burnt down the buildings in an attempt to destroy evidence.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions working with some non-governmental organisations and the MDC-Alliance called for the three-day protests which were disguised as demonstrations against the recent increase in the price of fuel when infact they were meant to make the country ungovernable hence the orgy of violence witnessed last week.

The violent protestors were so determined that they even laid siege on police stations such as Makoni Police Station in Chitungwiza. Police officers at Makoni Police Station fired several warning shots but the protestors were not deterred as they kept coming with children and women leading the charge.

According to police, the children are the ones that torched several vehicles at the police station including three buses. The organisers of the violent demonstrations’ use of children should be roundly condemned.

The future of these children, as rightly observed by Comm Charamba, has been destroyed. These children now face prosecution after being roped into demonstrations that had nothing to do with their welfare. Those that roped children to participate in the violent demonstrations should be prosecuted for violating the children’s rights.