The State of the Human Rights of Ethno-Cultural Minority Groups in Zimbabwe: Reflections on the Doma People of the Zambezi Valley

Abstract

The promotion and advancement of the rights of ordinary people set out by the Declaration of Rights in Zimbabwe is enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act, 2013. The role of the Declaration is the protection, implementation and enforcement of the rights of all human beings. Many aspects of human life are now legally or in principle protected by the Declaration despite many challenges, including alignment and operationalisation of the various statutes with the Constitution. The rights of minority groups have always been an aspect of human rights debates as evidenced by the contestations around the rights of other minorities elsewhere such as the Batwa commonly known as Bushmen people in the Kalahari Desert and the inhabitants of the Amazon rain forest. The study, therefore, assesses the rights of the Doma minority group in the Zambezi valley and, guided by a qualitative research framework and a human-rights-based-approach, brings to the fore new insights. For the fieldwork, purposive sampling was utilised to target informants and participants in Wards 1 and 11 which are the Doma domiciles. The data from respondents was complemented by the desk inquiry to sustain the main study argument that the Doma’s way of life is devoid of enjoyment of fundamental human rights. This is highlighted by limited education services provided to them since there are fewer schools in the wards than in any other region of the country. The study further argues that limited schooling and low literacy levels has subsequent effects on being receptive of one’s rights considering that a lack of knowledge affects, for instance, the participation in public life or the access to health care. The study concludes by arguing that the State, as the key duty bearer, ought to provide effective mechanisms and special policy positions on the Doma people that not only protect but promote Doma traditional way of life and involve relevant stakeholders in the movement.