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The Civic Space: unpacking the constitutional provisions and realities in Zimbabwe

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Transparency International defines civic space as “the freedom and means to speak, access information, associate, organise, and participate in public decision-making”. CIVICUS notes that “Civic space is the bedrock of any open and democratic society. When civic space is open, citizens and civil society organisations are able to organise, participate and communicate without hindrance.” The is common understanding that Civic space is based on three fundamental pillars namely (i) Freedom of Association, (ii) Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and (iii) Freedom of Expression. These freedoms are enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe stipulated as RIGHTS. For this discussion, Civic Space is the human environment which enables citizens to come together, share their interests & concerns and act individually & collectively to influence & shape their future. The Constitution of Zimbabwe was enacted by the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No. 20 Act, which was gazetted as law o

Learning from the past towards meaningful youth participation in HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a nation that has celebrated the decline in HIV prevalence among its population. A number of progressive initiatives were taken to fight the epidemic. However, these strides were done by adults and at large for adults. This has created a big gap and challenge for young people especially those living with HIV. The progressive initiatives only lacked to target young people living with HIV and those affected with HIV. HIV prevalence for the nation has declined, however the story is not the same for among young people. Issues relating to Stigma and Discrimination, HIV myths, Inaccessible ARVs, Non Existence of PMTCT, Uncompassionate health staff and related trauma are the biggest barriers for young people living with HIV and stand as hindrance for HTC behavior among young people. This paper want to focus on the gaps that needs action informed by the past and the present situation for positive living among young people living with HIV. The first cases of AIDS in Zimbabw