|
Back to Index
16 Days of Activism
Women's
Coalition
November 11, 2003
Dear Colleagues
Greetings all
round!!
Every year the
women’s movement runs the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
starting on the 25th of November to the 10th
of December. This is in commemoration of the Vienna Tribunal of
1993 when United Nations confirmed women’s rights as human rights.
The theme for
this year’s 16 Days campaign is, "Violence against women
is a violation of human rights: It strips them of their dignity
and it must be eliminated." We have lined up a number of
activities for this commemoration and would like to invite you to
join us as we struggle against the scourge of gender violence. We
will keep you updated and please do not hesitate to contact the
Women’s Coalition Secretariat and its members for advice and actions
against gender violence.
The activities
lined up for this year include;
A. Proposed
March on the 29th of November
The
march on the 29th of November will officially launch
the Sixteen days campaign. The secretariat is seeking permission
for the march and please mobilize yourselves and your members. Remember
the motto, "Nothing for us without us". No one will ever
give us our rights without us going out and claiming them. The march
is billed to start from ZWLA offices at 1000hrs and end in the Harare
Gardens at 13 00hrs on the same day.
The dress code
is black to mourn violence against women. You will be provided with
white scarves for easy identification during the march.
B. Gender
violence and the Church
Shortly
I will circulate letters for church leaders and Christians. This
letter explains the Sixteen Days Against Gender Violence concept
and outlines the role of the church in eradicating gender violence.
I know many of you go to church and please print the letter and
give it to your pastor, your family, friends, children and their
teachers. You can also e-mail it around.
C. Tent on
First Street
The Women’s Coalition
is seeking permission from the Harare City Council to put up a tent
on First Street for the Sixteen Days and we have already been told
that this will be impossible because the Mayor will be switching
on the Christmas lights along First Street on the 26th
of November and holding many other civic activities throughout the
festive season. Our tent is unwelcome. But isn’t a programme to
raise awareness of violence against women and girls a civic programme?
Something is very wrong with the Harare City Council priorities.
We have been
advised to consider other venues for the tent, far from the glamorous
civic activities of First Street. We are doing just that and lobbying
the Acting Mayor for a post on First Street.
Let me take
this opportunity to remind you that peace begins with you. It begins
in your home, in your community, in your workplace and spreads to
your country.
I wish you the
strength to challenge the violence in your own lives.
In Peace and
friendship.
Janah
Ncube, Chairperson
Visit the Women's
Coalition fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
