| |
Back to Index
WOZA
MOYA November 2006
Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
November 21, 2006
The Convention
on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
defines violence against women as ‘any act of gender-based violence
that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental
harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, force
or denial of freedom, whether happening in public or in private life.’
Women of Zimbabwe Arise and Men of Zimbabwe Arise invite all Zimbabweans
to join in this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence,
from 25 November to 10 December. The 16 Days of Activism Against
Gender Violence is an international movement, which began in 1991.
The dates 25 November (International Day Against Violence Against
Women) and 10 December (International Human Rights Day) were chosen
in order to link violence against women and human rights and to show
that such violence is an abuse of human rights.
This year, Zimbabwe will join the rest of the world in recognising
29 November, which is International Women Human Rights Defenders Day.
OUR SPECIAL DAY! WHY?
It is a step forward to have the promises of the Domestic
Violence Bill delivered and put an end to state-sponsored violence
so that we can concentrate on rebuilding our country and saving
lives…
Medical News
Today reports: "The life expectancy for women in Zimbabwe is
34 years, the lowest in the world, according to the World
Health Organization's World
Health Report 2006. Men in Zimbabwe have a life expectancy of
37, according to the report."
Gender
Violence in Zimbabwe
Women form 56% of the population in Zimbabwe and usually it is the
mother who must provide food despite the tight budget. We women bear
the burden of the economic hardship. A government official said recently
that 60 per cent of all murders in Zimbabwe were a result of domestic
violence, with the majority of them being women.
The campaign also comes after the passing of the Domestic Violence
Bill in Zimbabwe. The Bill makes domestic violence a crime and covers
areas like economic and mental abuse, threats and pestering. Cultural
practices that shame women, such virginity testing, female genital
damage, wife inheritance and the custom of offering young girls as
payment in disputes between families, will become illegal.
Violence Against Women and HIV/AIDS
According to international studies, violence against women, especially
forced sex, increases women’s exposure to HIV infection. Violence
and fear of violence limits a woman’s ability to discuss safe sexual
behaviour, even in agreement. Women who are infected with HIV, or
who are suspected to be infected, may also face violence and/or dumped.
Fear of violence and shame can discourage women from seeking information
on HIV/AIDS, getting tested for HIV, disclosing their HIV status and
seeking treatment and counselling. Since violence can affect women’s
willingness to be tested, it can also have a negative result on larger
HIV control, treatment and prevention programmes.
There are three kinds of violence, including state-sponsored violence,
that are causing Zimbabweans to die young: Violence of the FIST, Violence
of the TONGUE and Violence of the HEART.
Help us to expose this violence and hold those who practice it accountable.
Advancing
Human Rights
When
WOZA was formed in 2003, the founders recognised that it is mothers
who have to find a way to feed their children or to raise the morale
in the home so that the family can be peaceful and happy. So they
mobilised and prepared each other for the burden of state-sponsored
violence and continue to demonstrate against the shortage of basic
foods, as well as poor governance and our children’s right to education.
Instead of addressing our issues, the government of Zimbabwe arrests
us, beats us up and harasses us. All the defenders of WOZA and MOZA
require are to fully exercise their right to Freedom of Expression,
to Criticise, to Protest and to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly.
The majority of
Zimbabweans fought the liberation war for equality and freedom of
expression. Now state newspapers, television and radio are only for
the tongues of the politically correct. While we know that there is
a need for such a law as the Access
to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), it is the
selective application of the law that we object to. Where are the
Daily News, The Tribune and other independent newspapers? Why is Radio
Africa and Studio 7 jammed? Even Smith did not stoop so low as to
jam Radio Chokwadi/Qiniso, broadcast from Mozambique during the liberation
war. What is wrong with our views now – why can we not also hear Radio
Africa and Studio 7? We demand our freedom of expression and we chose
to bang pots at 8pm on purpose - to ‘jam’ propaganda news of this
regime that does not want us to hear the truth. Advancing
– despite the risks
Although the Domestic Violence Bill could bring some
relief to the many beaten and abused women and men, WOZA, as women
human rights defenders in Zimbabwe, do not have much protection
outside their homes. Harsh laws such as the Public
Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act continue to hound them. The
passing of these unjust laws, even though most nationalists in government
were arrested under the Law and Order Maintenance Act (LOMA), shows
a bad heart on their part.
Through POSA and
AIPPA, government thinks it has silenced the people. But some, like
the defenders in WOZA and MOZA, are prepared to disobey what they
see as unjust laws and speak out. Despite POSA, they continue to ACT.
Despite harsh conditions in police cells and ill treatment by cruel
officers, both uniformed and non-uniformed, they continue to SPEAK
OUT.
We quote a sister, Rhoda Mashavave, in her an article titled, ‘Women
pin hopes on domestic violence bill’, from zimbabwejournalists.com,
"It is rather unfortunate, however, that the Bill will
not cover state-sponsored violence which continues to follow women. Take
a look at the case of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), the resilient
women's pressure group. These women have been on the front position,
protesting against high food prices and human rights abuses in the
country. As a result, these women have become jailbirds as they continue
to be arrested each time they hold peaceful demonstrations. They have
been harassed and beaten up by the police in the process".
No matter what they do to us, WOZA and MOZA will continue to speak
out and act against violence against all Zimbabweans – women, men
and children. We will not suffer in silence. We need you to join us
– in the words of one of WOZA’s founders, the late Sheba Dube, "Stand
up, unite and call a spade a spade."
Visit
the WOZA 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
|
