Their Voices Matter: Week 3 Report 

Dear Friends and Partners

Source: Their Voices Matter: Week 3 Report – The Zimbabwean

Today we release the Third Edition of our report ‘Their Voices Matter: Community Reponses to COVID 19 Measures’. The report covers week three of the lock-down in Zimbabwe.

The report, a continuing conversation on how communities are experiencing and responding to the human rights issues emerging from the fight against COVID 19, capture community voices and proffer suggestions on how policy makers can implement these measures in a manner that respects the fundamental rights and advances the needs of the communities.

In this report, we tackle four critical issues.

Women and the Fight Against COVID 19. We speak to women across the country in Hurungwe, Mount Darwin and Epworth who reflect on the burden of COVID 19 on women. They reflect on the national compassion burden as women find themselves in the frontlines both in the hospitals as well as fighting poverty at home.

PWDs and COVID 19. We also cover the issue of how the COVID 19 fight has impacted persons with disabilities, with many persons in this category feeling left out of the national priorities.

The Rise of Conspiracy Theories and Church Leadership: As the nation witnessed the rise in conspiracy theories, we spoke to church leaders from around the countries and they highlight the importance of restoring the partnership of state and church in ensuring that congregations are not misled into thinking COVID 19 is a myth. It is a reality and churches are coming together to provide safety nets for the vulnerable as well as offering their health facilities in service of the community.

Citizen Initiatives and Stories of Hope: Finally, there are stories of hope. Ordinary people, standing up to assist others, without waiting for government. We document initiatives that show society taking a proactive approach to fighting COVID.

A number of recommendations come out of these conversations begging both state and society to prioritise the needs of the affected communities in designing and implementing recommendations.

Please follow the link here to download the full report. If you missed previous editions of the report, find them here.

ZimRights reports are conversations that bring out community voices in their raw form. We want to hear from you what human rights issues are emerging in your communities and how you are responding to them. What measures can the state take to improve the human rights situation? If you have any ideas, write to us on myvoice@zimrights.org.zw Alternatively, drop us a Whats App on +263 714 724 133.

Download the report