Youth Forum reiterates need for justice

Youth Forum remembers vividly how June 27 2008, a day when for the first time in the history of Zimbabwe there was, literally, a one man election,  resulting in many human rights abuses which saw more than 200 lives being lost, 300 000 families being displaced and thousands of innocent civilians being maimed and injured for the sake of ensuring that President Mugabe retains the driving seat.

Youth Forum commemorates this day with great agony considering the fact that youths not only within our membership but across the political divide suffered the consequences more than any other people in this nation. According to a survey carried out by our Research Desk out of every 5 victimized people in a community, 3 were youths. This is attributable to the active participation of youths in implementing the decisions on behalf of politicians. Equally disturbing is the fact that the findings also revealed that of the 5 perpetrators of violence 4 of them were youths.

Generally it came out that these youths would have been paid and could therefore not resist the temptation given their high levels of poverty due to massive unemployment, around 90% according to the Central Statics Office .This is also coupled by the fact that youths do not own resources due to imbalance in the distribution of the latter.

Against this background Youth Forum reiterates the need to effect transitional justice, peace building and conflict transformation, youth empowerment advocacy and promoting informed participation. We are however not impressed by the rate at which the government, which is a major stakeholder, is dragging its feet in coming up with these critical issues. Communities continue be divided on political grounds whilst unity is being preached at the elite levels of political parties and the government.

Furthermore youths continue to play a second fiddle in issues of national importance, particularly on the Constitutional Making Process which continues to be  clandestine and nicodemus to the majority of youths despite now being at an advanced stage.  Youth Forum has declared June 27 a special day for the youths whereby youths meet and discuss issues to do with violence prevention, informed participation and meaningful empowerment. We are not going to endorse processes which we did not participate in and will therefore mobilize our membership to reject anything which is imposed on us.

INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT