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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Operation Murambatsvina - Countrywide evictions of urban poor - Index of articles
Women's
Coalition Condemns Operation Murambatsvina/Restore Order
Women's Coalition
June 23, 2005
The Women's
Coalition of Zimbabwe is a network of women's organizations
and activists whose aim is to work for the full and equal enjoyment
of rights and freedoms by women and men of Zimbabwe. The Women's
Coalition notes with grave concern the effects of Operation Murambatsvina/and
Restore Order on people's lives and rights particularly of
women and children. According to the United Nations over a million
people were affected in that they lost their sources of income or
their shelters were pulled down. People's homes, vending stalls,
goods and property worth millions of dollars have been and are still
being destroyed. Sadly, women being the most disadvantaged economically,
socially and politically are suffering the most.
Our society
is characterized by gender inequalities, injustices, discrimination
and exclusion such that women find themselves at the bottom of the
social, economic and political structure. It is an undisputed fact
that women are the majority of the poor in Zimbabwe and with the
growing levels of urban poverty; the trend of women's poverty
is manifest in urban areas. Women have limited access to the formal
sector and therefore form the bulk of the 80% unemployed people
in this country. Low-income levels have led to people occupying
shanty houses. After all, who would want to live in a slum if they
had access to a mansion?
Zimbabwe is
critically affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic where 60% of the infected
are women. Nutritional security is poor as food shortages are rampant
and food prices are extremely high. Operation Murambatsvina merely
exacerbates this situation for women, who are also expected to care
for the infected, the children and the elderly under such difficult
circumstances.
Some of the
effects on women and girls are:
- Women who
had successfully survived in the informal sector will become destitute.
Women who had successfully operated in the informal sector will
become more vulnerable in every way since they have no source
of income.
- The most
vulnerable people are the sick, infants and expecting mothers.
Already there are reports of newly borne babies dying of cold.
The burden of caring falls on the woman.
- Women were
psychologically traumatized during the demolitions. Suicides and
stress related illnesses have increased among the affected.
- Many women
and child headed household have nowhere to go, particularly as
women's property rights are limited. Many of the women do
not own land.
- Already there
are confirmed reports from the Ministry of Education and Culture
that 300 000 children have dropped out of school. A sizable number
of these kids will not get a chance to finish school.
The government's
clean up campaign has destroyed people's shelters and sources
of income. Whilst the Women's Coalition appreciates the need
to restore order and cleanliness in the country, it views the manner
and timing of the Operation as a violation of women's rights
to economic livelihoods, security, health, housing and peace of
mind. Given that the state had the opportunity to give adequate
notice to allow the victims to suffer minimal inconveniences and
non-violation of the rights to economic livelihood, security, housing,
education and other human rights.
These rights
are clearly provided for in regional and international treaties
that the government has acceded to. The African Charter on Human
and People's Rights guarantees a people of rights to education,
work, health, housing and all the human rights that citizens of
a country should have access to. The Convention on the Elimination
of All forms of Discrimination Against Women and the SADC Declaration
on Gender and Development which our government has signed goes in
the same thread.
The Women's
Coalition appreciates the efforts being made by the state, UN agencies,
Red Cross Zimbabwe, churches, NGOs and other civic organizations
to assist the victims of Operation Murambatsvina. We urge you all
to strategize around the special needs of women, girls, and orphaned
children. We also urge the government to ensure equitable distribution
of stands to both women and man as a measure of beginning to address
imbalances in property ownership of women.
The
Women's Coalition empathizes with all the women and families
affected and implore the government to assume its role of protecting
its citizens and consulting them to find solutions to what it perceives
as problems rather than act unilaterally. The Women's Coalition
also calls for a suspension of the Operation until meaningful plans
and mechanisms are put in place to cushion women from the affects
of such an Operation.
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