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Solidarity
for women in Hwange and Chitungwiza
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
October 08, 2013
Women of Zimbabwe
Arise (WOZA) has received updates of police sanctioning the right
to protest by Hwange women and discrimination of women in Chitungwiza
through operation Chipo Chiroorwa (women get married).
Information
reaching WOZA indicates that over 100 Hwange women attempted
to march to the Hwange Colliery General Manager's office to
demand their husbands pay. Police reaction group acted overzealously
and arrested the ring leaders on Sunday night and then when the
demonstrations went ahead, they used excessive force to disperse
the women. The women who were gathered to march from Hwange Colliery's
villages 2, 3, and 5 to the general office. Instead of engaging
the peaceful women whose husbands have not been paid for 5 months,
the company remains silent and no comments were made by the husbands
whose wives whose were forced to take action.
Meanwhile, hundreds
of Chitungwiza women have been arrested and charged for 'loitering'
for merely exercising their right to entertainment during the evening
hours since Friday, 4th of October 2013. This is gender discrimination
as no men were arrested or charged under this selective application
of loitering laws. Additionally this operation is demeaning by implication
that a woman who goes out at night is unmarried.
WOZA wish to
remind the Zimbabwe Republic Police that the rule of law by use
of baton sticks and excessive force should have ended with the promulgating
of the new constitution where gender equality is a founding value
and principle. WOZA call for the urgent and immediate formation
of the gender commission and ask women to prepare submissions to
flood the commission with word to create a culture of respect for
the equal treatment before the law and equal rights for all genders
in Zimbabwe.
WOZA extend
solidarity support to women of Hwange and Chitungwiza and ask them
to stand fast for gender equality and the struggle for a better
standard of living for living for all Zimbabweans.
Visit
the WOZA fact
sheet
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