Human Rights Watch calls on Zambia to protect rights of rural residents

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling on Zambia's government to protect the rights of the rural residents affected by the government's plans to diversify the economy and reduce rural poverty.

A newly released HRW report examines the impact of commercial farms on residents’ rights to health, housing, livelihood, food and water security, and education. 

It says government agencies need to have sufficient staffing, resources, and training to enforce laws and monitor the activities of commercial farms the report said.

It further states that Zambia's government is failing to protect the rights of rural residents displaced by large commercial farms in Serenje district.

Many commercial farmers acquired thousands of hectares of land, bypassing the legal provisions meant for protecting the environment.

Some commercial farms forcibly evicted residents whose families farmed the land for generations, according to the report. Women have also often been  excuded from negotiations with commercial farmers.

“Where will we go? This is where I was born, my parents were born here and died here. Where can we go? I have 10 children and my sister has 6, where do I take them if they remove me from this farm?” said a woman from Chishitu section in Serenje district.

Juliana Nnoko-Mewanu, a researcher on women and land at HRW says, “Families that have lived and farmed for generations on land now allocated to commercial farms are being displaced without due process or compensation.” 

In 2013, dozens of residents were forcibly evicted by a commercial farmer. As the result, the residents spent four years in shoddy tents and houses where the facilities were limited. Lack of access to drinking water, food and proper shelter made their lives miserable.

The Zambian law requires government officials and investors to consult affected communities, provide a decent compensation, comply to resettlement standards and assess the impact on the environment.

However, the residents of Serenje district have a different story to tell. They say they had no information about the commercial farms nor did anyone make efforts to protect their rights. 

The government has been asked to adopt a long-awaited customary land administration bill and upgrade its national land policy by the watch group.

“The government needs to take dramatic and rapid action to ramp up enforcement of its own laws and regulations,” said Nnoko-Mewanu.

 “They need to stop forced evictions, and ensure that displaced families are able to secure a remedy for human rights abuses,” she said.