BEITBRIDGE: In a pioneering move to advance the rights and welfare of people on the move, a strategic partnership has been forged between the Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice (CCJP) Masvingo and the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and is capacitating duty bearers and civic organisations on legal frameworks that protect people on the move (PoTM) in Beitbridge.
This collaboration aims to capacitate duty bearers and civil society organizations on national and international legal frameworks that safeguard migrants, refugees, and displaced persons.
The joint initiative, launched recently brings together legal experts, church leaders, local government officials, and non-governmental organizations to address the critical gaps in knowledge and implementation of legal frameworks that are significant in solving challenges that persist for PoTM in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“Approximately 78% of PoTM and 70% of host community members surveyed had limited or no knowledge of safeguarding policies,” said CCJP Coordinator Simon Parwaringira.
“This deficit contributes to vulnerabilities such as arbitrary detention, exploitation, denial of services, sexual and gender-based violence, and increasing xenophobia, particularly in high-transit areas like Beitbridge and Musina,” he added.
Parwaringira also says, while PoTM are barely engaged in decision making, “…legal protection mechanisms are poorly implemented due to inconsistent application of the law, lack of stakeholder coordination, and systemic issues like corruption at border points and a shrinking civic space in Zimbabwe.”
CCJP Masvingo also further noted that, CSOs, though present, are constrained by limited legal literacy, funding, and a lack of formal collaboration structures with government.
CCJP Masvingo, long active in humanitarian and advocacy work, is contributing its grassroots networks and experience in community mobilization through capacitating both civic and state actors understand, apply, and uphold relevant legal frameworks, and to build collaborative, trust-based mechanisms to protect the rights and dignity of PoTM in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Meanwhile, the legal ministry is providing technical expertise on relevant legal instruments, including the national immigration laws, and human rights protocols.
