There is nothing as painful as watching a child withering away with an illness which could have been easily avoided. But pregnant mothers still deny their children the right to live a healthy life by refusing to get tested for HIV and Aids early.

At least 100 girls in Zimbabwe are sexually abused everyday but not many of these cases are being reported because of various social, cultural, religious and political reasons.

"Staying in a border town is a horrible experience for children who have lost both parents and are living in poverty. "There are too many nightclubs and bars and as such girls as young as 14 years are forced to engage in different activities that include prostitution and drug abuse.

The country's tobacco industry is probably one of the most successful and has benefitted tremendously from the much maligned fast track land reform programme which has seen a lot of previously marginalised black farmers entering the lucrative tobacco farming sector.

Spare the rod and spoil the child is a popular saying among Zimbabweans. It has some link to the Biblical Proverbs 13vs24 which reads: "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him". (KJV).

There has been low uptake of paediatric anti-retroviral drugs across the country owing to failure by parents and guardians to take children for HIV testing and inability to decide on their part, a health official has said.

South Africa has been identified as a major human-trafficking destination for victims from within the country, the region and beyond, yet there is no legislation that specifically criminalises human trafficking and protects victims.

Zimbabwe joins the rest of Africa today in celebrating the Day of the African Child. The celebrations are being held under the theme: "All together for urgent actions in favour of street children."

Orphans and vulnerable children in 10 of Zimbabwe's poorest districts will start benefiting from a government scheme to help them go to school, have enough to eat and access medical care.

Education Minister David Coltart has revealed that each child in Zimbabwe has been allocated just under US$2 per month in the budget towards their education. Coltart made the shocking revelation on Tuesday during an Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) roundtable discussion.