The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has accused Zimbabwe of systematically interfering with delivery of humanitarian relief to children and their families in areas affected by political violence.

Zimbabwe’s politically-motivated violence has resulted in the displacement of at least 10,000 children in Zimbabwe, and destruction of hundreds of people’s homes.

According to the UN agency, thousands of children have not returned to school after the 29 April restart of classes, and scores of others were caught in the violence. ZANU-PF has been accused of turning schools into centres of torture.

The situation has been complicated by the recent mass return of thousands of Zimbabweans who are fleeing from South Africa following recent attacks on foreigners in that country.

UNICEF puts the figuire to 20,000 Zimbabwean children and women have been forced to flee their homes during these recent attacks in and around Johannesburg.

At least up to 80,000 people have been displaced, Zimbabweans bear the greates brunt of the attacks. According to the UNHCR there are close to three million Zimbabweans who have fled their country’s economic and political turmoil, a majority of whom now live in neighboring South Africa.

“Today many who fled violence and economic turmoil in their own country, and have sought refuge in South Africa, now find themselves under attack,”said UNICEF’s Regional Director for Eastern & Southern Africa, Mr Per Engebak.

UNICEF has also raised concerns over the continuity of programmes for hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable children and orphans who benefit from those programmes in Zimbabwe because of violence and restrictions imposed by President Robert Mugabe.

“It is vital that our UNICEF programme in Zimbabwe continues to reach all
the children who require assistance,” said Mr Per Engebak, UNICEF Regional
Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.

In the past two weeks UNICEF in Zimbabwe has increased its emergency
support to more than 25,000 individuals, and continues to supply blankets,
soap and clean water to new cases.

One in four Zimbabwean children is orphaned and while 90% are absorbed into
the extended family, those families are suffering unbearable stress as inflation rises beyond 350,000 percent. In response, in 2007 the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) responded to the crisis by reaching more than 2.5million Zimbabwean children and women with programmes in HIV, health and nutrition, child protection, education, water & sanitation, and child rights.

This efforts hang on the balance as the situation in Zimbabwe deterioriate and politcal apathy and violence continues to occure unchecked.