Uddrag af omtalen af programsamarbejdslandet Zambia i det amerikanske udenrigsministeriums årsrapport for 2004 om menneskerettighedernes stilling verden over.
After restoring multi-party politics in 1991, the Republic of Zambia has been governed by the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, the party of both President Levy Mwanawasa and his predecessor, Frederick Chiluba.
Zambia has made strides toward democratic governance that protects human rights, but many challenges remain. The December 2001 election that brought President Mwanawasa into office was tainted by alleged irregularities and is being challenged in the courts.
A series of subsequent parliamentary by-elections showed continuing weaknesses in Zambias electoral system, but there were also signs of improved performance by the Electoral Commission.
The governments human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained. There are frequent reports of human rights abuses committed by Zambian law enforcement officers. Police officers committed several unlawful killings and tortured, beat and otherwise abused criminal suspects and detainees.
The Government has begun to take steps to address this long-standing problem through training initiatives and, with U.S. assistance, the Police Public Complaints Authority (PPCA). Arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention and long delays in trials were problems.
The Government at times sought to restrict press freedom. Violence and discrimination against women remained widespread. Child abuse, child labor and discrimination against persons with disabilities were problems. Workers rights were limited. There were reports of trafficking in persons.
Since mid-2002, the Mwanawasa Government has made fighting corruption one of its top priorities. Several senior officials from the previous government, including former President Chiluba and some of Mwanawasas own appointees, have become the subjects of independent corruption investigations.
Some are currently on trial. The judiciary enjoys considerable independence, but is hampered by a lack of resources, inefficiency and corruption.
In view of Zambias poor human rights record and building on the demonstrated will of leaders both inside and outside of government to undertake reforms, the U.S. human rights and democracy strategy for Zambia consists of promoting democratic governance, improving the professionalism of law enforcement agencies and ending child labor.
All of the democracy and governance activities undertaken by the United States are coordinated through an inter-agency working group chaired by the Ambassador.
U.S. efforts to foster democratic, transparent and fair governance in Zambia include support for legal and institutional reform and technical assistance for the Zambian governments campaign to combat corruption.
In the area of institutional reform, the main focus is the Parliamentary Reform Project initiated in 2002 by Zambias National Assembly. Following the successful conclusion of a one-year pilot project, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) joined the National Assembly and the governments of four other nations on December 5, 2003, in committing 1 million dollar to support a three-year project.
The goal of the Parliamentary Reform Project is to help the National Assembly become an effective, independent legislature that can act as an equal partner in the governance of Zambia, rather than a rubber stamp for the executive branch.
As a complement to U.S. support for parliamentary reform, USAID has also funded grants to civil society organizations advocating constitutional reform. The Government and reform advocates agree that Zambia must revise its constitution in order to make the Government more accountable and to protect human rights; consensus has not yet been reached, however, on the process to follow in effecting constitutional reform.
U.S. assistance for Zambias fight against corruption began in August 2002 with a grant from USAID to the Ministry of Legal Affairs to improve the capacity of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
In 2003, anti-corruption assistance expanded to include a broad program of technical assistance from the U.S. Treasury Department to help Zambian investigators and prosecutors learn how to manage cases of unprecedented complexity and scope.
U.S. assistance to Zambias Task Force on Corruption, which coordinates the work of investigators and prosecutors in a wide range of landmark corruption cases, helps the Zambian Government and civil society establish an improved climate of accountability, the best defense against corruption.
The United States has supported training with significant human rights components for Zambian law enforcement officers and members of the military. Over 120 police officers have received training at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Gaborone, Botswana through 2003. The curricula for these courses include important human rights components.
In addition, U.S. Department of Defense trainers made several visits to Zambia in 2003 to improve the capacity of the Zambian Defense Force to participate in international peacekeeping operations. The courses included significant components on human rights training.
As part of an effort to improve the professional standards of Zambias law enforcement agencies, the Embassy provided a grant in 2003 for the PPCA. The PPCA is now operational, and in late 2003 issued its first public reports on complaints of police abuses.
As a result of the PPCAs work, the Government took significant disciplinary actions against the officers involved, including dismissal in some cases.
Child labor and child prostitution are the most serious trafficking-in-persons problems in Zambia. In 2003, Embassy Lusaka continued its support for several programs aimed at combating child labor.
The Labor Department funds the International Labor Organizations (ILO) implementation of the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor, which in Zambia also includes a project under the Child Labor Education Initiative.
USAID support for the Zambian Governments Basic Education Sub-Sector Investment Program is an important counterpart to these projects, as it helps to ensure that children who might otherwise be engaged in labor have an opportunity to go to school.
The Democracy and Human Rights Fund (DHRF) was another source of support for workers rights in Zambia in 2003. DHRF projects in Zambia include Civic Education for Workers Rights, which organized workshops on conflict resolution, womens rights and related issues for residents of industrial areas.
Kilde: Det amerikanske udenrigsministerium
