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ZWRCN GAD Talks
Margaret Zunguze, Programme Director Information Services
Zimbabwe Women's Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN)
July 16, 2002

ZWRCN is a non-governmental development organisation working towards
enhancing the position and status of women in Zimbabwe. Gender and development (GAD) talks are held every month, for about an hour, mostly over lunchtime. These talks create a social and friendly climate within which to discuss women’s issues. The main aim of these discussions is to hammer out key issues around topics that are largely seen as ‘untouchable and not for discussion in the public space’. Gad Talks create space to examine those areas, kept un-examined because of sexism and patriarchy. We also take the opportunity to use the GAD talks as a forum to challenge power relations and patriarchal ideology. Consciousness raising and opening up of political and social space are some of the aims of this programme.

Journalists of several media houses have found these talks a major source of news. Topics discussed since January 2002 have been: Understanding the Information Bill, The Cost of Menstruation, HIV Testing, Nevirapine, Sex Work and Virginity Testing.

The latest talk on virginity testing brought eight members of ZINATHA, Chief Makoni and two women who conduct the testing to Harare to share their reasons behind virginity testing. Seventy-five members (63 women) from the NGO community and general public interacted with these traditional leaders. Ordinarily, these people would never have met to share ideas, but GAD talks make it possible. A human rights activist explained how virginity testing is demeaning to the girl child and does not cure HIV/AIDs. A lively debate followed with the NGOs community denouncing virginity testing. The Chief went away with the knowledge that not everyone supports his purported drive to cleaning the country of the HIV/AIDs scourge by focussing on virginity.

Issues raised during the latest Gad Talk are:

• The question of ownership was raised i.e. who owns a woman’s body? Is it the community, mother, father or the child? What rights does a mother have on her child? Chief Makoni said that parents volunteer girls that come for testing. No one is forced to have virginity testing.
• There was too much concentration on virginity testing at the expense of getting solutions to deal with rape. Lately due to economic problems and the myth that sex with one’s daughter would improve one’s business opportunity has seen incest cases rising in Zimbabwe. Stiffer sentences have to be metered to offenders.
• Fathers are not good role models as most deflower other peoples’ daughters.
• Virginity testing was appropriate in olden days when marriages used to occur within the same locality where people knew each other’s backgrounds ‘kuroora kumatongo’. In those days, virginity was respected and boys could not touch a girl before paying lobola.
• Economic problems are causing girls to turn to sex work at an early age. There is need to address the issue of poverty in relation to virginity testing.
• What is done to those girls that are found not to be virgins?
• Many girls are married virgins by men who are not virgins only to be infected by their new husbands. Boys need to be tested for virginity if girl virginity testing is to have any value.
• Virginity testing is one sided and an unfair practice.

Members of the Gender Forum are encouraged to attend and participate in the GAD talks.

Services offered by ZWRCN

• Internet Cafe we offer training in E-mail and Internet, short computers courses and select software programmes.
• Lobbying and advocacy for gender justice
• Resource Centre on gender and development issues
• Gender and development Talks

Visit the ZWRCN fact sheet or website

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