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Women of Zimbabwe Arise 10th anniversary
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
February 17, 2012

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (the Forum) congratulates its member organization, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) on its 10th Anniversary. WOZA was formed in 2002 as a grassroots- based organization with the mandate of spearheading campaigns for the promotion of human rights by women. Over the years, WOZA has proved itself as a strong pressure group in championing human rights by successfully executing human rights campaigns without fear.

The Forum appreciates the role played by WOZA in allowing political space for ordinary Zimbabwean men and women to articulate social, economic and political issues and demand social justice from the government. Its unique and gender-based approaches to both dialogue and confrontation in the expression of gender based violence, social injustice, bad governance and poor service delivery among others, have galvanized public resonance and support while making authorities accountable. WOZA's resilience in pursuing its mandate in a politically hostile environment is acknowledged and the Forum and its members applaud the group for this despite the challenges and dangers it has and still encounters.

WOZA's leadership and its members have constantly been unlawfully arrested and detained in the country's prisons in the exercise of their constitutional rights and fundamental freedoms. The Forum condemns the arrest of 9 members of WOZA and 5 other bystanders while marching to celebrate their 10 years of existence in Bulawayo on 07 February 2012. During the march they called for the demilitarization of Zimbabwe; electoral and legislative reforms and for the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN) and SADC to deploy peacekeeping monitors before and after the scheduled elections to prevent state sponsored violence against civilians. The Forum deplores the actions by the police and urges them to respect the right to freedom of assembly, association and expression as provided for in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

The Forum applauds WOZA for a decade of sterling work in the promotion of human rights and urges it and its members to continue advocating for social, political and economic justice in promoting citizen participation and assist in civil society's efforts to create a democratic society that respect the rights of its citizens.

Visit the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum fact sheet

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