Zimbabwe ‘s Undocumentation Crisis: Hundreds of Children at Risk
Providence Moyo
Bulawayo’s silent crisis sees hundreds of schoolchildren living without legal identity. Honorable Discent Bajila, MP for Emakhandeni Luveve, has brought this issue into focus after engaging with guardians at Matshayisikhova Primary School, where the lack of documentation for students is stark.
“The challenge of undocumented children is multifaceted,” Hon. Bajila commented.
“While the Registrar General’s Office has faced criticism for its service, the real issues extend far beyond this,”he added
A significant contributor to this crisis is the diaspora effect. Parents leave for opportunities abroad, often neglecting to secure birth certificates or records for their children back home, sometimes for over a decade, without any support.
Hon. Bajila also pointed out other scenarios complicating matters.
“We have undocumented adults in the diaspora fathering children without documentation, and local single mothers abandoning their offspring without trace,” he explained.
The situation escalates when both sides of a child’s family are known, yet the mother’s identity or location remains a mystery, or when parents fail to return to maternity clinics for paperwork due to temporary shortages.
The absence of official data on statelessness in Zimbabwe obscures the true extent of this problem, but estimates suggest about 300,000 people, including many children, could be at risk.
Hon. Bajila emphasizes the urgency of collective action.
“We must collaborate to address this challenge and ensure every child has the documentation they need to thrive,” he insisted,
This narrative exposes a crucial child welfare issue in Zimbabwe, calling on policymakers, communities, and families to work together to secure a future for these children. Without legal identity, these young lives are severely disadvantaged, facing hurdles in education, healthcare, and social inclusion.
