Violence against women in politics still a concern
By Delicious Mathuthu
Women are concerned with the continued violence against women in politics and electoral processes as partly witnessed in the recently ended candidate selection processes for the major political parties in Zimbabwe.
Speaking during a Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) Community Meeting on violence against women in politics in Gweru, Midlands Province recently, several women in attendance said violence against women in the political arena is still happening despite some positive development in them taking positions.
Speaking during the meeting, WCoZ Midlands Chapter Coordinator, Locadia Mavhudzi, said an incident of violence was reported in Mvuma where a ZANU PF female council candidate was allegedly assaulted by one of the sitting Councilors during the party’s primary campaigns.
“There is one (incident) from Mvuma of a Councilor who was beaten by a sitting Councilor.
“So we are looking into that issue to ensure the person faces justice,” Mavhudzi said.
One of the participants during the meeting said verbal violence against women is also rife, some being perpetrated by fellow women, especially name calling.
“In my area during the primary elections (ZANU PF) a female candidate worn in my ward but the attitude towards her, issue of status, she is not married and people consider status.
“They are saying that prostitute won, and that is exactly the word they are using.
“Then on the other side the’re CCC nominations and the’re is a woman there, and we tried to say let’s support a woman, again, some said no because they consider status arguing that she is not married as well,” she said
National Association for None Governmental Organisations (NANGO) Midlands Coordinator, Titus Mangoma, said there is need to improve on the level of toxicity that usually prevails during elections and the’re is need to change the language used, even slogans, in order to ensure that democracy prevails.
He said there is improvement to some extent in the environment, adding that change is a process and not an over night event.
He said small things make a big different in that change process.
Another participant, Mrs Audrey Rusike, however said women have now also become perpetrators of violence.
She said initially, it was women being victims of violence but in the primary elections that happened in Gweru some women were actually the perpetrators of violence.
She said at Chaplin High, one of the female candidates there hired some rowdy youths (Korokozas) to cause violence.
Her sentiments were echoed by one of the Journalists, Martin Mawaya, who witnessed the Chaplin primary elections.
“I want to agree with what Mrs Rusike is saying, women were instigating violence at Chaplin.
“Some of us were made to delete footage of that incident,” he said.
Mawaya also added that female candidates tend to shy away from media when Journalists seek to cover them, a sentiment which one of the women rights activists, Merjury Makunere, attributed to historical relations between women and the media, and the general misunderstanding of journalism.
“Yes they will runaway because of late, journalists have been writing negatively about women.
“So women need strong and continuous education that Journalists want to cover them so that they boost them to take these high profile positions, they don’t want to write negative about them.
“So those without enough knowledge about Journalists truly, they will runaway from them,” Makunere said.
Nobuhle Mahlahla said in general political parties now accept women as candidates, an environmental improvement from previous.
“I feel that political parties are now appreciating women as candidates, even during (primary election) campaigns here in Gweru they were supporting fellow women here in ward 3,” she said.
The WCoZ Community Meetings seek to reflect on the electoral environment in relation to women and violence, funded by Norway.
Before the discussions, Mavhudzi highlighted some of the legal provisions in the Zimbabwean Constitution and international laws and charters in relation to women and elections.
The community meetings programme also seeks to bring to the table front line responders of violence like the Police, NGOs, peace commissions among several other organisations and institutions.
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