The women's movement in Zimbabwe is relatively small,
but very active, with women's organisations working closely together to
tackle inequality. WOMANKIND has three partners in Zimbabwe, each working
in a distinct but complementary area.
Violence against women
Violence against women is common in Zimbabwe, and widely tolerated. According
to research carried out by WOMANKIND’s partner, Musasa Project, in 2006,
39% of women in Zimbabwe have experienced physical, sexual, economic or
psychological abuse. Musasa — our first partner in Zimbabwe —
provides counselling and advice services to these women as well as advocating
for legislative change. Musasa also works to increase understanding
of the link between violence and HIV and AIDS and provide appropriate services.
With support from WOMANKIND’s
partners many women are escaping from violent relationships, using the Domestic
Violence Act passed in 2007. But there are still many challenges in trying
to use the law — such as lack of support from the police and court
officials.
Women's access to justice
It was WOMANKIND's work with Musasa that first put us in contact with the
Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA), which was providing legal advice
and protection to Musasa's clients. ZWLA also provides legal aid to women
who are going through inheritance, divorce or custodial battles. This type
of work is particularly important in Zimbabwe, where the dual legal system
means women in customary or unregistered marriages have few divorce and
inheritance rights. WOMANKIND supports a Legal Aid and Empowerment programme,
which helps women take their cases to court. The demand for these services
has risen rapidly as the economic climate leaves more and more women unable
to afford lawyers' fees.
Women's political participation
The current political situation impinges on women's ability to access and
exercise their human rights. Since 2004, WOMANKIND has worked in close partnership
with the Women in Politics Support Unit (WiPSU), which provides practical
support to women MPs; gets women members of different parties talking to
each other; and helps 'ordinary' women constituents participate in the political
process. WiPSU's work is crucial to the improvement of women's political
participation and representation, and also provides a unique way of facilitating
much-needed, cross-party dialogue.
The current climate
In a turbulent environment, WOMANKIND is working to support our partners
— and the broader women's movement — to feed constructively
into legal, political, and social change for women.
Zimbabwe is in its ninth year of economic decline. This was vividly illustrated
by the hyperinflation which led to the near-collapse of the formal sector.
Political violence during 2008's elections resulted in physical and sexual
abuse, with reports of women and children dying in the aftermath. Similarly,
women and children suffered most during cholera outbreaks in August 2008
because, as with the HIV and AIDS pandemic, the disease hits women hardest
— they are more susceptible to the illness and they are the main carers.
The country is currently undergoing
a constitutional-reform process which WOMANKIND partners see as an opportunity
to make sure that women’s rights and issues are included in government policies
and legislation.
