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Protest
over Violence Against Women in The Herald Newsrooms
NANGO &
Women's Coalition
August 24, 2005
The undersigned
organizations who are subscribers and readers of The Herald
on a daily basis write to protest in the strongest terms violence
against women in your newsrooms. As civic society organizations
we are gravely worried that civilized spaces like your newsrooms
and offices have become unsafe and hostile spaces for women in your
employ.
I refer to the
alleged attempted rape of a female employee by one of your senior
editors. There is no record of this case going to the courts and
to date the male editor is still in your employ. The female employee
has since left The Herald. Recently we were shocked to receive the
news that another senior male editor, Ceasar Zvayi assaulted a female
journalist in your newsroom. This was done in full view of other
employees who witnessed the case. The case has been reported to
the police. However the perpetrator in this case, Ceasar Zvayi has
boasted about his assault on Thelma Chikwanha and threatened other
staff that he will deal with them the "Thelma way."
Mr Zvayi is
also alleged to have phoned the Federation of Africa Media Women
of Zimbabwe (FAMWZ) to ask when they were going to come and demonstrate
against him. He promised to show them then that he can assault women.
We rely on the
Herald on a daily basis to tell the story of gender violence against
women and children in the country. We were proud of your unraveling
of the Macheke Primary School cases of organized child sexual abuse,
which led to the closure of the school. However we are disturbed
to find that such violence is happening in the newsrooms where the
stories are written.
Violence against
women is a very serious issue and we are urging you to deal with
perpetrators in a way that depicts that the Herald has zero tolerance
on gender violence. Gender violence demeans women and precludes
them from rising within company ladders to the corridors of power.
We request that;
1. Management
promptly investigates cases of gender violence and brings to book
all perpetrators within the Herald and Zimpapers.
2. We ask that
you create a working environment that is friendly to women in your
newsrooms. Such an environment should be free of violence, especially
sexual harassment.
3. We request
that you put in place policies and guidelines that ensure gender
equality within your organization. We would love to have a female
editor at the Herald in the near future.
4. Formal apology
from management to the female staff members for the conditions they
have been forced to live in.
Signed
(note that the
final petition will be carried on a NANGO letterhead)
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