IOM Zimbabwe 2017 - 2021. Human Rights Monitoring, Protection and Promotion

Summary of key achievements for the Human Rights monitoring project Through this project, IOM contributed to scaling-up coordinated, protection, promotion and enforcement of human rights for citizens and vulnerable groups including internally displaced persons, with the following achievements: - Increased access and utilization of human rights protection information and services by citizens through establishing a referral pathway system consisting of 10 CSO partners to support the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission in conducting assessments, document, and report on the general human rights situation in the country. - Provided emergency and life-saving support to 227,058 beneficiaries (42 % males, 52 % females) through the referral pathway system. The support included provision of litigation, emergency shelter and non-food items, medical care, mental health and psychosocial support, advocacy, and access to information for mobile and vulnerable population. - Reached over 5 million people with information on civic education and human rights under advocacy initiatives conducted by the project composed of mobile human rights clinics, media blitz focused on the production of human rights awareness material. - Contributed to the formation of Provincial Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Working Groups as a disaster management mechanism aimed supporting the Department of Civil Protection Unit on humanitarian coordination. - Adopted Community Based Planning (CBP) approach as a tool for peacebuilding and promotion of community social cohesion. Also, learning circles contributed to the adoption of the Human Rights Based Approach in the formulation and strengthening of referral systems to support survivors of human rights violations. For example, in key hotspot areas the project provided capacity to ZHRC to strengthen human rights monitoring and supported the National Referral Mechanism on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and facilitated GBV and Prevention Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse trainings. The support strengthen capacity for CSOs and duty bearers to respond to human right violations and guide victims/survivors of abuse on where to seek assistance available at different referral points. - Supported the Government of Zimbabwe in the formulation and adoption of the Zimbabwe National Human Settlement Policy aimed at protection the rights and improving durables solutions for the Internally Displaced Persons through access to decent shelter and safe housing. - Initiated dialogue through the Portfolio Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs advocating for the domestication of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention) with motions currently being debated in Parliament of Zimbabwe. - Supported ZHRC to generate evidence to the National Inquiry on Access to Documentation, the Motlanthe Commission, assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on human rights, status of institutional. - Conducted citizen monitoring and supported learning and evidence-based advocacy on human rights issues through training of 890 community-based human rights monitors on techniques, and methods of human rights monitoring. The training was part of the ongoing capacity development provided by the project to the community and stakeholders which contributed to the documentation under PIMS (Project Information Management Systems) of 9,087 human rights violations affecting 664,666 individuals (249,903 males, 286,556 females) across the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe over the implementation period. Summary of key highlights of the COVD-19 response Within the framework of the PHRM project, the project increased support to the Government of Zimbabwe on curbing the spread of COVID-19. Highlighted below is a summary of the key achievements: - To curb the spread of COVID-19, IOM supported the Government to set-up isolation tents at border level to ensure separation of symptomatic patients (Migrants) in eight (8) POEs (Beitbridge, Plumtree, Chirundu, Nyamapanda, Forbes, Sango, Kariba, Kazungula). - Supported Port Health through deploying a total of 15 IOM nurses who were engaged in the different Points of Entries (POEs) (Beitbridge, Plumtree, Chirundu, Nyamapanda, Forbes, Sango, Kariba, Kazungula) to collaborate in the screening registration and profiling of returnees, as well as testing and provision of basic medical services. - Conducted Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) campaigns conducting in 10 provinces, covering health promotion and information dissemination in POE and border communities. - Conducted a total of nine capacity building trainings to front line workers and different stakeholders across all the POEs (Beitbridge, Plumtree, Chirundu, Nyamapanda, Forbes, Sango, Kariba, Kazungula). The trainings focused onCOVID-19 response, health risks and preventive measures, case management, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Mental Health Psychosocial Support (MHPSS). - Set up billboards with COVID-19 preventive messaging, and safe migration information in a total of 19 key sites (border post and congregation spaces). - Population mobility mapping (PMM) exercises conducted at POEs (Forbes, Chirundu, Beitbridge, Plumtree) to detect high-risk transmission in mobility corridors, hot spots and to inform preparedness plans and Health strategies. - Developed Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) in case management at POEs and management of Isolation and Quarantine centres with IPC and Self-Isolation content developed in collaboration with RCCE, IPC and Case management Pillar. - Established a total of 594 handwashing stations were at POEs, border quarantine facilities, border communities and key migrant sending areas, to enhance hygiene practices and preventive measures. - Supported documentation of human rights violations and the distribution of PPE in the community.

The overall goal of the project is to improve the socio-economic rights of vulnerable citizens and ensure human rights are effectively protected and upheld in Zimbabwe. The expected outcomes are: 1. Increased citizen access to human rights information and training services from the grassroots to the national level. 2. Increased capacity for effective engagement between citizen groups/representatives and duty bearers. 3. Enhanced dialogue and legislative processes that are open and subject to monitoring by non-state actors. 4. Increased monitoring, learning and evidence based advocacy for protection of human rights by the state and other duty bearers.