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No vote to male MP's - they are a mockery to the nation
Women's Coalition
October 12, 2006

View the index of articles on the debate around the Domestic Violence Bill

The Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe which is an umbrella body for 35 women’s organizations working around various issues affecting women and girls in Zimbabwe is deeply disturbed by recent utterances by some male MP’s during debate on the Domestic Violence Bill. Some of them claimed to represent "God Almighty" while others represented traditional customs most of them harmful. It is ironic to women and girls that at a time when women and girls are being murdered, raped, maimed and psychologically traumatized in the home than ever before, and at a time when women and girls need to be protected from all forms of violence in and outside the homes some male MP’s join the bandwagon of perpetrators of violence against women and girls and confirm that they are indeed perpetrators who have walked scot-free because there is no specific legislation protecting women in Zimbabwe. We are infuriated, angry and shocked! The gender insensitive MP’s are a mockery to the nation. How can they be in Parliament to defend patriarchy – the oldest oppressive institution for women world over? Most western countries got rid of it and most of their women are now equal to men.

Patriarchy has no place in mordenised and civilized societies. One wonders how in the first place women married to Male MP’s like Timothy Mubawu who said, "the Domestic Violence Bill is diabolic, it is against God’s principles that men and women be equal, and repeated that women MP’s be role models by getting married and that "women’s dressing is too inviting to men" . Honestly how can an opposition political party, with claims for democracy, violate women’s rights to such an extent? How can a people’s party that fought alongside women and girls in the liberation struggle ignore women’s rights like Kadoma West Legislator Cde Zachariah Ziyambi who said that, ‘all men were setting a trap for themselves if they supported the bill and it should not be fast tracked" The question is for how long are we going to wait making wider consultations whilst the women are suffering at the hands of their male counterparts in the homes? The men whom we all voted for to represent us are now betraying women’s basic human rights by justifying that traditionally women are expected to be submissive and ever after the liberation war 20 years along they take domestic violence as norm. Chief Mudzimuirema of Mashonaland East said, "the Bill could result in some marriage breakdowns" as some men were of the view that it would be difficult for men to stay under the same roof with a wife who would have reported him to the police usually resulting in a prosecution or a jail sentence. How can some male MP’s voted by women to represent them make a mockery of the majority of the electorate including female MP’s? How can we allow such male MP’s to contaminate all males in Zimbabwe without confronting them and decampaigning them for the next parliament? The backlash on women’s ngo’s cannot be justified anymore given the fact that Zimbabwe is a signatory to the AU Protocol on Women’s Rights and many other International Instruments. Every time we attempt to advance women’s rights men accuse us of being western as if being abused is African.

Given this scenario it is imperative on the part of the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe:

• To stop negotiating for our rights with men because these are entitlements – something we should be guaranteed from birth. Women’s lives are not negotiable!! Men have rights and so do women. We have tried every strategy to raise awareness on our rights as women but patriarchy is so entrenched that there is no space for women. We therefore stop negotiating from today onwards but demand that every political party in Zimbabwe that is serious about ruling this country revamp its structures and ensure that women occupy key decision-making positions. This is not negotiable!!
• Name and shame every legislator implicated in domestic violence and rape and mobilize women and girls in his constituency to demonstrate against abuse at his doorstep. The Women’s Coalition has a list to be availed to the general public soon. Some male MP’s have never met with women in their constituencies to consult further on the Domestic Violence Bill and the Women’s Coalition has to name and shame them.
• To compile a list of gender sensitive MP’s who have women at heart and acknowledge their contributions publicly and urge their constituencies to rally behind such MP’s. In fact the Women’s Coalition is organizing a dinner for gender sensitive MP’s.
• Train every traditional chief in Parliament on Gender and Millennium Development Goals with specific emphasis on why it is imperative for male chiefs to work in line with the Millennium Development Goals especially the one on gender equality. The Women’s Coalition must avail to all chiefs the AU Protocol on women’s rights.
• All male MP’s opposed to the Bill and who are gender insensitive have to urgently meet with survivors of domestic violence (both male and female) to get a deeper understanding of why protection of women and girls in the homes is long overdue.

Finally, any political party serious about women’s issues will be fully supported by women to be or stay in power. Female MP’s should have the full knowledge that gender sensitive men and all women support them fully in Parliament. We are fully aware of the backlash they go through daily from their male counterparts who are in their large numbers in Parliament and we have been pained. We are fully aware of your efforts to build Zimbabwe and contribute meaningfully to several debates on women’s issues with little support from male MP’s. Know that such arrogant, gender insensitive MP’s no longer have support from women and we know who they are and definitely in the next parliament they will be history.

To all Zimbabwean women our message is that gender equality does not come on a silver plate. Like any struggles, we have to win the war against patriarchy in the home, parliament, school and community. Our common enemy now is gender insensitive Members of Parliament or whoever in whatever capacity. No women in any country have been insulted like what happened on Tuesday 4 October 2006 in the Parliament of Zimbabwe. As per our submissions during the public hearing on the Domestic Violence Bill, NO OPTION OF FINE for domestic violence because the home should be the safest place on earth. Women, boys men and girls who suffer domestic violence are worth more than livestock where stock theft attracts over 49 years in jail. NO WOMAN, NO VOTE in the next election!!

On 16 October we are protesting at the Parliament of Zimbabwe with a coffin full of names of women killed and raped during domestic violence.

On behalf of the Women’s Coalition
Muzvare Betty Makoni - Chairperson

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