Human Rights and Freedom in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Republic of Zimbabwe [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	178th best
Location	Africa
Population	14.4m1
Life Expectancy	59.25yrs (2017)2

Zimbabwe is amongst the worst places in the world at ensuring human rights and freedom, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Zimbabwe does worse than average in terms of the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₃, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₄, eliminating modern slavery₅, opposing gender inequality₆ (still low for Africa), supporting press freedom₇, its average Freedom in the World rating, its nominal commitment to Human Rights₈, freethought₉ and in LGBT equality₁₀. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 for supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₁₁. Zimbabwe has such a poor Human Rights record that political theorist Jack Donnelly in his book "Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice" (2013)₁₂ included it amongst 3 countries for which "compliance with international human rights standards would mean removal of those in power"₁₃. After dictator Robert Mugabe was ousted in 2017, he was replaced by his deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, "who has his ownlong record of rights violations"₁₄. Some existing human rights provisions from 2013 are routinely ignored by the government₁₄.

1. Zimbabwe's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
2. Human Rights & Tolerance
   1. Press Freedom
   2. Slavery
   3. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom
   4. Freedom in the World
   5. Human Rights Watch Comments
   6. Nominal Commitment to HR
   7. HR Treaties Lag
3. Gender Equality
   1. Gender Inequality
   2. Gender Biases
   3. Year Women Can Vote
4. Prejudice
   1. LGBT Equality
   2. Freedom of Thought
5. Freedom of Belief and Religion
6. Links

---

1. Zimbabwe's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #zimbabwe

Compared to Africa (2025)15
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank15
1	S. Africa	55.8
2	Seychelles	64.8
3	Cape Verde	66.8
	...
41	Central African Rep.	127.5
42	Burundi	130.4
43	Congo, DR	130.9
44	Zimbabwe	134.5
45	Chad	134.6
46	Equatorial Guinea	135.4
47	Angola	136.1
48	Comoros	138.3
49	Mauritania	143.2
	Africa Avg	110.0
q=54.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)15
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank15
1	Sweden	8.5
2	Denmark	13.5
3	Norway	13.5
	...
176	Congo, DR	130.9
177	Tuvalu	132.2
178	Myanmar (Burma)	133.8
179	Zimbabwe	134.5
180	Chad	134.6
181	Equatorial Guinea	135.4
182	Angola	136.1
183	Syria	136.5
	World Avg	87.8
q=200.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₁₆. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, The Vatican City and Sudan₁₆.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₆, whereas the worst are Melanesia, The Middle East and Micronesia₁₆.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Amnesty International's 2023-23 summary on human rights in Zimbabwe stated:

“The right to freedom of expression was threatened with the cybercrimes law used to arrest journalists. Meanwhile the Private Voluntary Organization Amendment Bill would undermine the right to freedom of association if adopted. Members and supporters of the main opposition party were violently attacked at political rallies, leading to at least two deaths. Students were arrested for protesting against high fee increases and the government weaponized the law to persecute political opposition members. Two young men were unlawfully killed by law enforcement officers in August in separate incidents. The authorities took measures to control the spread of a measles outbreak that led to the deaths of hundreds of children. Legislation outlawing early and child marriage was introduced.”

"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)₁₇

2. Human Rights & Tolerance

2.1. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom Lower is better7
Pos.		20137
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
129	Angola	3780
130	Libya	3786
131	Burundi	3802
132	Zimbabwe	3812
133	Jordan	3847
134	Thailand	3860
135	Morocco	3904
136	Ethiopia	3957
	Africa Avg	3511
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

In terms of supporting press freedom, Zimbabwe ranks 132nd in the world.

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₁₈

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

“In 2017, several journalists and activists were subject to arbitrary arrest, harassment, and intimidation while participating in protests or reporting on demonstrations. [...]

On July 28, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA, Zimbabwe) led a journalists´ march to the Harare Central Police Station protesting police assault on three journalists of the privately owned NewsDay daily newspaper. Police had assaulted journalists Obey Manayiti, Shepherd Tozvireva, Abigail Mutsikidze, and their driver, Raphael Phiri, the previous day for allegedly taking photographs of the police beating protesters in Harare. [...]

State media remains partisan in favor of the ruling ZANU-PF party while limiting coverage of opposition political parties. The government has not repealed or amended the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), and other laws that severely restrict basic rights and infringe on freedom of expression.”

"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₄

2.2. Slavery

#burundi #eritrea #france #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery Lower is better5
Pos.		2018 % Victims5
1	Japan	0.03
2=	Canada	0.05
2=	Taiwan	0.05
	...
119	Ukraine	0.64
120	Turkey	0.65
121=	Niger	0.67
121=	Zimbabwe	0.67
123	Togo	0.68
124=	Cameroon	0.69
124=	Kenya	0.69
124=	Albania	0.69
	Africa Avg	0.96
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

With regard to eliminating modern slavery, Zimbabwe ranks 121st in the world.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₁₉. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₀. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₁. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₂.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₃. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₄. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₂₅. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₆, Eritrea₂₆, Indonesia₂₇) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₂₈.

For more, see:

• "The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

2.3. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better11
Pos.		2014 Rank11
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
145=	Saudi Arabia	144
146	Chad	146
147=	Pakistan	146
148	Zimbabwe	148
149	Guinea	149
150	Angola	150
151	Congo, DR	151
152	Algeria	152
	Africa Avg	114.2
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Regarding supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, Zimbabwe is positioned 12nd-worst in the world.

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]

The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”

"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₂₉

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.4. Freedom in the World

#freedom #human_rights #hungary #politics #USA

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
156	Guinea	5.5
157=	Haiti	5.5
157=	Macau	5.5
157=	Zimbabwe	5.5
157=	Abkhazia	5.5
157=	Qatar	5.5
162	Kazakhstan	6.0
163=	Niger	6.0
	Africa Avg	4.8
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

When it comes to its average Freedom in the World rating, Zimbabwe comes 137th in the world.

Freedom House's long-standing annual report has been running since the 1970s, collecting data on political rights (PR) and civil liberties (CL). Their reports rate countries as "Free", "Partially Free" or "Not Free", however the results here are based on their numerical values. Many countries score the best combination of scores (1 and 1), which is why the table of results show many places equally placed in 1st place. In the past two decades, some well-established democracies like the USA and Hungary have been falling. Whilst most of the world in general is improving rights and freedoms over time, the 2020s has seen some regression.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

2.5. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments Higher is better4
Pos.		2017 Score4
1=	UK	9
1=	France	9
1=	Germany	9
	...
80	Cambodia	-5
81=	Uganda	-5
81=	S. Sudan	-5
81=	Zimbabwe	-5
81=	Bahrain	-5
81=	Venezuela	-5
81=	Oman	-5
81=	Tajikistan	-5
	Africa Avg	-5.6
	World Avg	-1.9
q=123.

Zimbabwe ranks 78th in the world when it comes to commentary in Human Rights Watch reports.

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.6. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better8
Pos.		2009 Treaties8
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
151	Cuba	11
152=	Guyana	11
152=	Swaziland	11
152=	Zimbabwe	11
155	Saudi Arabia	10
156=	Laos	10
156=	Solomon Islands	10
156=	Qatar	10
	Africa Avg	14.8
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Zimbabwe ranks 148th in the world when it comes to its nominal commitment to Human Rights.

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.7. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better30
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty30
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
166	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	13.73
167	Grenada	13.86
168	Bahamas	13.93
169	Zimbabwe	13.95
170	Djibouti	13.99
171	St Lucia	14.11
172	Montenegro	14.20
173	USA	14.23
	Africa Avg	9.88
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Zimbabwe is positioned 169th in the world when it comes to speed of uptake of HR treaties.

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

3. Gender Equality

Zimbabwe is an unequal country, with male rights dominating those of women.

“Two years after Zimbabwe´s Constitutional Court declared child marriage unconstitutional and set 18 as the minimum marriage age, the government has yet to amend or repeal all existing marriage laws that still allow child marriage. It also has not put structures in place to implement the court decision and ensure that girls under 18 are not forced into marriage. [...]

A January 2017 Human Rights Watch report found that widows are routinely evicted from their marital homes and their property confiscated by in-laws with little recourse to the formal justice system. Many of the victims struggled to claim rights for reasons unique to their status as widows. Few women formally own the property held during their marriage. As a result, they were unable to keep jointly held property upon the death of their husband. They are required to prove they were in fact married, which can pose great challenges, due to lack of access to the courts and the high cost of obtaining the necessary documents to ward off in-laws´ intent on property grabbing. The government has yet to raise awareness, review inheritance and marriage laws, and improve access to justice for women.”

"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)₁₄

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree
• "Christianity and Women: Biblical Misogyny and Male Dominance" by Vexen Crabtree

3.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Gender Inequality Lower is better6
Pos.		20156
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
123	Iraq	0.53
124	Zambia	0.53
125	India	0.53
126	Zimbabwe	0.54
127	Gabon	0.54
128	Qatar	0.54
129	Tanzania	0.54
130	Pakistan	0.55
	Africa Avg	0.54
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

In terms of opposing gender inequality, Zimbabwe comes 126th in the world (still low for Africa).

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

3.2. Gender Biases

#gender #gender_equality #prejudice #women

Gender Biases Lower is better3
Pos.		2022 %3
1	Sweden	31.831
2	New Zealand	34.432
3	Australia	37.032
	...
65	Jordan	98.532
66	Burkina Faso	98.633
67	Algeria	98.731
68	Zimbabwe	98.732
69	Yemen	98.731
70	Azerbaijan	98.731
71	Ethiopia	98.932
72	Iraq	98.932
	Africa Avg	98.10
	World Avg	83.93
q=88.

Regarding the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), Zimbabwe comes 21st-worst in the world.

The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) looks at gender biases across seven criteria; the % given here is for the total people who are biased across any of those criteria. By subtracting the value from 100%, you can see that those who do well on this index, you are seeing a count of those who do not appear to be biased against women in any of the criteria, and so, doing well on this index is a very positive sign for any country.

The data was included in UN (2022) with full results in Annex table AS6.7.1; their data stems for ranges between 2005 and 2022, depending on the country in question.

3.3. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
169=	Mozambique	1975
170	Portugal	1976
171	Guinea-Bissau	1977
172	Zimbabwe	1978
173=	Marshall Islands	1979
173=	Palau	1979
173=	Micronesia	1979
176	Iraq	1980
	Africa Avg	1961
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Zimbabwe is 16th-worst in the world in terms of the year from which women could participate in democracy.

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

4. Prejudice

4.1. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #ICCPR #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

Mugabe had a particular hate for gay and lesbian folk and over the last two decades has stated repeatedly that "gays are worse than dogs and pigs"₃₄ and it will take an exceedingly long time for basic tolerance towards LGBT folk to become the norm. Purely as a result of cultural prejudice and poor moral thinking, the Criminal Law Act, section 73, makes male homosexual relations illegal₁₄, needlessly sending men to prison for private, consensual activity.

LGBT Equality Higher is better10
Pos.		2017 Score10
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
165=	Yemen	-22
166	Turkmenistan	-24
167=	Lebanon	-24
167=	Zimbabwe	-24
169	St Kitts & Nevis	-25
170=	Botswana	-25
170=	Ghana	-25
172	Pakistan	-26
	Africa Avg	-10.4
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Zimbabwe comes 166th in the world in terms of LGBT equality.

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₃₅. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₃₆. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₃₅. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

• "LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

4.2. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought Lower is better9
Pos.		20219
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
	...
147	Andorra	3.7
148=	Uzbekistan	3.7
149	Myanmar (Burma)	3.8
150=	Zimbabwe	3.8
150=	Palestine	3.8
150=	Belarus	3.8
150=	Sri Lanka	3.8
150=	Russia	3.8
	Africa Avg	3.1
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

With regard to freethought, Zimbabwe is positioned 149th in the world.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₃₇. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₃₈. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₃₉ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₄₀. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₄₁. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands_9,42 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia_9,43.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₄₄. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₃₈, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₄₅ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₄₆ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

• "Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).

5. Freedom of Belief and Religion

#religion_in_zimbabwe #zimbabwe