Centre to help vulnerable child deportees

The Zimbabwe government is planning to set up a transit centre in the busy southern border town of Beitbridge to assist vulnerable youths deported as illegal aliens from South Africa.

The centre, to be established with the help of Save the Children Fund (Norway), will help youths under 18 who have been expelled for crossing the border illegally, but have no money to return to their homes.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Paul Mangwana told IRIN that the idea of a transit centre followed reports that some deportees, especially girls, had been victims of abuse and sexual harassment in Beitbridge.

"We decided to enlist the help of non-governmental organisations to deal with the problem of young deportees, who are usually dumped around town. There are substantiated reports of young girls going into prostitution because they cannot find money to go back to their distant homes. Some, especially boys, engage in criminal activities to find money for food and travel," said Mangwana.

The minister said Save The Children (Norway) had donated over US $11,000 to help with the development of the centre, to be located about 15 km from the border post. According to a plan unveiled by the Beitbridge District Child protection Committee last week, the centre is to provide meals and accommodation to affected children for up to three days.

"We realise that most female deportees are sexually harassed in the process of deportation. To this end the centre will also try to offer counselling services to the affected before we release them. Through liaison with other district social welfare offices, those of school-going age shall be sent back to school in their own areas of origin," he said.

Mangwana noted that transporting the deportees back to their homes was proving difficult, as bus operators were refusing to accept government-issued travel warrants.

Zimbabwe's economic crisis has led to an exodus of young people looking for work and opportunities across the border in South Africa, and hundreds of illegal Zimbabwean migrants are caught, detained and deported from there every month.

According to the South African authorities, 900 Zimbabweans are due to be expelled on 15 January - a figure inflated by the suspension of deportations over the festive season.