From Policy to Practice: A Systematic Review of Disability Rights Implementation in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Background: Zimbabwe has enacted progressive disability rights legislation, including the Disabled Persons Act (1992), constitutional protections (2013), and ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, 2013). However, significant gaps persist between policy commitments and lived realities for persons with disabilities.
Objective: This systematic review synthesises empirical evidence on the implementation of disability rights legislation and policy in Zimbabwe, examining barriers, enablers, and lived experiences across key life domains.
Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we systematically searched eight databases (Scopus, Informit, PubMed, Google Scholar, African Journals Online, and grey literature sources) for studies published between 2005 and 2025. We screened 148 unique papers using predefined eligibility criteria and extracted comprehensive data from 80 included studies. Narrative thematic synthesis was employed to analyse implementation findings, barriers, enablers, and lived experiences across education, employment, healthcare, justice, and accessibility domains.
Results: The review identified substantial policy-practice gaps across all domains. While Zimbabwe’s legal framework aligns with international standards, implementation is undermined by inadequate domestication, resource constraints, weak enforcement mechanisms, and pervasive attitudinal barriers. Institutional fragmentation, inaccessible infrastructure, and intersectional discrimination compound exclusion. Enablers include disabled persons’ organisations (DPOs), targeted institutional accommodations, and multi-stakeholder programming. Lived experiences reveal persistent exclusion in education, underemployment, healthcare discrimination, electoral barriers, and inaccessible public spaces.
Conclusions: Zimbabwe’s disability rights framework remains aspirational rather than operational. Bridging the policy-practice gap requires strengthened domestication of CRPD provisions, dedicated funding, disability-disaggregated data systems, accessible infrastructure, capacity building for frontline workers, and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in implementation and monitoring.