'Nigel was beaten on many occasions during his incarceration - when he cried, or asked for food, or wanted to go to the toilet. He was also threatened and watched his mother being tortured, including having boiling water poured over her followed by iced water and being forced to remain in her wet clothes,' said Frances Lovemore, a spokesperson for the Counselling Services Unit, an organization that works with the victims of political violence.

'Collen and Violet are very close as a couple, and the separation of the family unit, since Collen was not in the same cell as Nigel and Violet, also affected Nigel,' Lovemore added.

Nigel's brother Allan is also finding it tough to be a kid after being robbed of his parents for three months.

The seven-year-old, who fled to a neighbour's house, when seven armed men in three unmarked vehicles pulled up outside his parent's home in Kuwadzana township last October, is now afraid in his home.

'And if he sees big vehicles he runs away,' according to Collen.

Violet and Collen testified about their detention recently in the Supreme Court, where they are seeking a permanent stay of prosecution on the basis of gross violations of their rights while in detention, including torture.

In a hearing on their detention in April, High Court Justice Charles Hungwe remonstrated with the state over its detention of Nigel.

'The Republic of Zimbabwe must be seen, through the acts of its public officials, to be protective of the rights of the child,' Hungwe said.

Amnesty International lamented the lack of progress by the five-month-old unity government on human rights as 'woefully slow'.

The UN children's agency Unicef says it has identified 58 children under five who are currently behind bars with their mothers at the country's eight main penitentiaries. The agency is supplying the mothers with food, clothes, nappies and other supplies.