Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora is set on a warpath with children’s rights organisations after it emerged that Primary school children are being forced to take HIV blood-tests, with some parents being compelled to sign consent papers against their better judgement or will. (ALSO READ Dokora Bans Scripture Union …….)
The exercise which commenced earlier this week, and is now postponed, was allowed by Dokora’s office, revelations emerged yesterday.
It is being conducted by the Harare City Health in conjunction with Child Protection Society (CPS), while Rujeko Clinic nurses conduct the testing, according to a statement released by women’s rights organisation, Zimbabwe Activist Alliance (ZAA).
While HIV testing and counselling remain the cornerstone in the fight against AIDS, government adopted set guidelines which require pre-counselling before testing to avoid trauma and related stigma. It is estimated that  190,000 (2013) children living with HIV in the country are aged between 0 to14 years with many not knowing their status according to the Ministry of Health.
However, in a hard hitting statement, ZAA National Coordinator, Lynnette Mudehwe took government to task over the exercise; “As ZAA, we are worried by the government’s continued behavior of not consulting citizens on issues regarding our children. Who did they consult on this ill advised bogus project?”
Mudehwe says in the statement that they found out about the ‘bogus’ exercise after a random visit to Dzivarasekwa 5 Primary School Tuesday morning; “ We talked to parents who were already at the school and other residents. Parents were given letters of consent to sign if they wanted their kids to be tested or not. About 30 parents took their kids for the exercise with many absenting their kids from school to boycott the exercise.”
Calling for the respect of children’s rights Mudehwe further said; “Our children are not guinea pigs. Why do they not test their children learning in the far east?”
“Residence in DZ rejected this exercise by making their children boycott the exercise. We urge citizens of Zimbabwe to remain vigilant and reject anything imposed on them without consultation,” she said.
 
Efforts to obtain a comment fron Minister Dokora were fruitless at the time of going to press.