Human Rights Fostering “a collective responsibility”: Catholic Bishops’ Entity in Zimbabwe

Harare, 18 December, 2022 / 8:16 PM

Members of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace Zimbabwe (CCJPZ) have said it is everyone’s responsibility to foster and safeguard human rights.

In a statement obtained by ACI Africa Tuesday, December 13, members of the Commission of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference (ZCBC) call upon “all people of goodwill and the state to commit to promotion and protection of human rights.”

“The promotion and protection of human rights is a collective responsibility, a responsibility for everyone,” CCJPZ members say in the statement dated December 10.

They say that the process of fostering human rights is a two-way affair that everyone who embraces human dignity should uphold.

“Human dignity is the same for all human beings: when I trample on the dignity of another, I am trampling on my own,” they say referencing Pope Francis' remarks at the Human Trafficking Institute on 28 October 2021.

In the two-page statement issued on the occasion of the annual event of Human Rights Day marked December 10, CCJPZ members say the Southern African country can ensure the dignity and freedom of her people through the implementation of sections of the constitution that touch on human rights.

They list the right to personal liberty, human dignity, equality and non-discrimination, freedom of assembly and association, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression and section, and political rights as sections of the country’s constitution that need implementation.

“The state has a moral and legal responsibility to promote and protect the dignity of the human person, freedom, and justice for all,” CCJPZ members say in their December 10 statement.

They recommend that the country’s government and legislature should “fast track the realignment of laws with the constitution” to promote human rights.

The members of the Commission of Catholic Bishops in Zimbabwe call upon the judiciary, the executive, and the legislature to “diligently and independently discharge their duties without fear and favor. None is above the law.”

They call upon the Judiciary to protect "all citizens from harm and inhuman treatment regardless of their political affiliation, race or creed.”

CCJPZ members also call on the media to not only be balanced in reporting but to also be objective, especially when reporting national issues.

They warn against hate speech as promoted by politicians and urge political parties to commit to promoting peace and nonviolence.

The members of the Catholic Commission also say that Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) should “continue to educate citizens on their rights and responsibilities to make meaningful participation in the democratic process such as elections.”

In fostering meaningful participation, CCJPZ members encourage “citizens to behave in an objective manner that offers respect for the rights of other people in the process.”