|
Back to Index
This article participates on the following special index pages:
Talks, dialogue, negotiations and GNU - Post June 2008 "elections" - Index of articles
Request
for solidarity and support by women of Zimbabwe
Women's Coalition
Oct 31, 2008
Background
Zimbabwe is going through an unprecedented political and humanitarian
crisis which is deepening and accelerating by the day. The three
leaders of political parties signed a deal to form an eighteen months
transitional government on the 15th of September 2008. This agreement
gives Zimbabwe its first chance in ten years to stop violence and
restore socio-economic and political wellbeing. However the three
political principals have failed to agree on the allocation of ministries.
Zimbabwe continues to sink deeper and deeper into a humanitarian
crisis with famine gripping the country. All sectors including health,
judiciary, education and industries continue to crumble and collapse.
The situation has become dire and there is need to put pressure
on the negotiating parties to form a coalition government urgently.
Zimbabwe went
to the polls twice this year, first in the March harmonized elections
and then in June during a presidential run off. After the March
elections Zimbabwe witnessed nationwide, massive, organized and
calculated violence against perceived members of the opposition.
This included abductions and murders, torching of houses and destructions
of food stocks including livestock, intimidation, displacements,
assaults, rape especially gang rape. The security of women and girls
in both urban and rural areas is under serious threat in Zimbabwe.
Between June and September 2008 WCoZ estimates that there were thousands
of women who were sexually violated around the 2000 bases which
were set up during the violence and terror campaign.
Conclude the Talks - We are Dying of Hunger Campaign
WCoZ has always advocated for peace and nonviolence in the country.
However realizing the grave crisis that faces the country now WCoZ
launched
the "Conclude the Talks - We are Dying of Hunger Campaign".
On the 27th of October 2008, about 1000 women gathered near the
venue of the SADC Troika Talks to demand a resolution of the crisis
and send a message to the three political leaders and SADC Troika
that the talks should be concluded urgently and efforts to restore
Zimbabwe should begin henceforth. Zimbabwean women are demanding
an end to the talks and emergency humanitarian assistance to save
millions of Zimbabweans from imminent starvation. This was the message
on the placards carried by the women, translated into both Shona
and Ndebele which are the two main official languages.
How can you be in Solidarity with women and girls in Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwean women and girls are going through a grave crisis manifesting
itself in a famine, collapse of health, judiciary and education
systems. We urgently need solidarity from our sisters outside the
country, either in the African regions or beyond, you can make a
difference and your contribution can save lives. The women of Zimbabwe
are appealing to their sisters around the world to take up the following
causes as a means of showing solidarity.
Mobilize
financial resources or provide Zimbabwean women with:
- Non-violence
strategies for conflict resolution trainings for women leaders
around the country. So far only team leaders in Harare have received
this training yet we need to build a critical mass of women who
can begin to demand an end to the crisis at all levels across
Zimbabwe through widespread nonviolent civic society protests.
- Food has
become the most expensive item in the country and there simply
isn't enough to go round. If you are our neighbour, WCOZ
encourages that you unite as women and girls, collect food and
send it across your borders to Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe
or other humanitarian agencies that you are in touch with. We
need cereals, cooking oil, porridge any type of food will save
lives.
- Our hospitals
are closing down and there is a dire shortage of essential medication.
Please collect, fundraise and send what you can from pain killers,
gloves etc.
- Sanitary
ware has become a luxury for many Zimbabwean women and girls.
When you buy for yourself buy a few extra and send to us across
any border.
- A full SADC
meeting will be held to resolve the Zimbabwe deadlocked talks.
Please fundraise for us to attend the talks and mobilize locally
for other players to attend as well. We should send the message
clearly to SADC that time is running out for Zimbabwe.
Women movements
in the regions can pursue lobby and advocacy activities with their
leaders so that they can in turn push for a resolution of the crisis.
We are attaching our list of demands from our political leaders
and SADC. Please forward these to the political leadership in your
country.
Regional and
international networks can also show solidarity to Zimbabwean women
by sharing strategies and offering technical advice on issues of
advocacy in crisis and conflict period. We would love to learn from
other success stories in the region.
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
|
