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This article participates on the following special index pages:
New Constitution-making process - Index of articles
Residents' Voices - Issue 31
Bulawayo Progressive
Residents Association (BPRA)
September 17, 2010
Constitutional
outreach meetings draw nearer
The long awaited
constitution outreach meetings will resume this Saturday 18 September
2010. While waiting for venues and dates of the meetings to be announced,
BPRA has been holding meetings to capacitate residents on constitutional
issues that need be raised during the information gathering process.
The association has also, through its ward structures, prepared
positions that will be submitted to Copac during these meetings.
Bulawayo
youths complain of being sidelined
Bulawayo youths
have passed complaints saying that they are being sidelined in the
constitution making process. They have accused politicians of seeking
the assistance of the youths only when they need to gain political
mileage yet they neglect them at a crucial time like this one. In
the past years Zimbabwean youths have been used to perpetuate violence
coercing residents to support certain political parties. The youths
have said that it is of paramount importance to raise awareness
on certain matters of interest that are specific to the youth. Some
of the significant issues are those to do with capital punishment,
free and compulsory education, affordability as well as accessibility
of passports to name a few. Without the youth themselves contributing
directly to the present exercise, their interests will go by the
board.
MCSC
conducts informative road shows
From Monday
13 to Wednesday 15 September 2010 the Matabeleland Civic Society
Consortium (MCSC) conducted road shows across Bulawayo's 29
wards. These road shows were aimed at raising awareness on the constitution
making process and also informing the various wards of when the
COPAC teams will visit their respective wards. The awareness process
took the form of a road show so as to attract the attention of masses
while at the same time being mobile - reaching a large spectrum
in a short space of time. During the road shows the consortium as
a whole and the partnering organisations as individuals took the
opportunity to distribute information material educating the people
on constitutional issues and how best to raise them at the COPAC
outreach meetings.
Bulawayo
residents see a need to repeal policies that oppress women
Bulawayo residents
have noted with concern that there are laws and other regulations
that need to be repealed as a matter of urgency seeing as how these
policies undermine and oppress women. Most regulations were formulated
under a patriarchal and male dominated society and did not cater
for the needs of women. Some of these laws still exist to date and
are one of the major reasons why women are downtrodden and not effectively
empowered. BPRA and ZWALA will, together, hold meetings whose main
thrust is to inform and educate women about these discriminatory
policies and engage them in forging a way forwards towards repealing
them. Through these platforms it is envisaged that women will look
into regulations such as inheritance laws, property rights and acquisition
of identity documents and other such issues that are pertinent to
women.
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