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International Women's Day
Student Christian Movement of Zimbabwe (SCMZ)
March 09, 2009

The Student Christian Movement of Zimbabwe (SCMZ) today joins with millions of women world wide to commemorate the 2009 International Women's Day. This, being a day set aside to celebrate the social, political and economic achievements of women. SCMZ sadly notes that in as much as efforts have been made towards the emancipation and empowerment of women a lot still remains to be done for women in Zimbabwe. Our society has from time to time immemorial underplayed the role of women, although this is done in a veiled and sophisticated manner. The recently formed Government of National Unity (GNU) is clear evidence of this, with the disappointing and ire-raising number of women appointed as ministers.

Zimbabwe is signatory to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development, which stipulates that men and women must have equal representation in both private and public sectors by 2015. During the appointment process our current leaders totally disregarded this quota. The major question being "are the women of Zimbabwe not educated or empowered enough to be involved in national planning and designing"? The bitter part is that during the election period, it is the women who attended rallies in their numbers, it is mostly the women who were beaten up and terrorized, and it is the women who went out to cast their votes in their masses. Now that the time has come for power sharing, women have been sidelined into subservient posts, which have no strategic value in the running of a nation.

The GNU is a disappointment to many women of Zimbabwe, and displays a weakness in democracy. It still remains to be seen, whether our current leadership will embrace the principles of good governance viz a vie democracy and the restoration of human's dignity. However for the women who have made it, SCMZ applauds your appointments, and implores you to work harder towards the advancement of the plight of women. Be diligent in your work and do not turn into figureheads or play second fiddle to the wiles of corrupt machinations.

Visit the SCMZ fact sheet

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