STAKEHOLDERS from the Gweru Victim Friendly Court (VFC) have raised concern over placing of offenders on community service at institutions close to victims.
According to minutes of a recent Gweru VFC sub-committee meeting the problem was said to be rampant in resettlement and other remote areas where there are few institutions for offenders to do community service.
“Of great concern was the issue of community service placement of offenders in the same area or surrounding with the victims,” part of the minutes read.
“One of the main reasons (given) for such placements was the unavailability of places for placement for example in resettlement areas where only one school would be available.”
Gweru regional magistrate and chairperson of the VFC committee, Christopher Maturure, however, said the issue of community service placement was a critical one and efforts would be made to avoid giving community service to offenders in the area their victims live.
Maturure gave an example where a perpetrator is charged for abusing young children, adding that “the person cannot be placed at an institution where there are children to avoid (further) exposing them”.
The courts usually order offenders to complete community service sentences at institutions or places near offenders’ places of residence for convenience purposes.
