Girl child the focus of International Women's Day

Zimbabwe: Union members gathered at Batsirai Zimcare Trust, a school for mentally disabled children. Activities included cleaning up the school premises, providing entertainment for the children and handing over donations of clothing, food, blankets and cash to the school.

Members then joined other workers at a public rally addressed by several government officials and party leaders. Minister of Public Service Lucia Matibenga encouraged all working women to champion their own agenda. 

Minister of Labour Pauline Mpariwa encouraged women to work side by side with men and to not be afraid to take charge. She said that Zimbabwe needs to look back and see the abuse, torture and neglect that the girl child has suffered culturally, socially and economically. Today's young women are struggling to make critical decisions for life in an environment full of discrimination, harassment and gender based violence. It is not gender equality which has destroyed our culture, but our own perceptions and definition of a woman's role in society, which have destroyed gender equality.

She went on to say that it is time for women to untangle themselves from the misconception of cultural dosage prescribed for them by society, bearing in mind that unity is of paramount importance if women are to achieve their set goals.

Nyasha Benza, Vice Chair of the Women Advisory Council of ZCTU said "It is the nation's duty to protect the girl child, empower and educate women". She said that the harsh economic environment that has prevailed since 1990 has caused 80% of women to turn to the informal sector where police harassment and torture has followed them. A lot of young women are employed in the domestic sector where they are denied their rights. The ZCTU welcomes and demands ratification of the historic Convention 189 on the rights of domestic workers, adopted by the ILO in June 2011. 

Benza added that Zimbabwe has also witnessed the abuse of the law by some greedy employers that use casual labour on a permanent basis. This growing trend for casual, part-time or contract workers means that many young people enter the labour market with little or no social security coverage, low wages, precarious employment contracts, and in many cases, occupational hazards.

NEWU joins the ZCTU in demanding unconditional maternity protection ,a stop to domestic violence and marital rape access to free basic maternity and health care facilities,. Labour demands the respect of terms and conditions of contracts of employment,expeditious remittance of union dues by employers and respect of trade union rights, Labour also called on government to subsidise the treatment of breast and cervical cancer and forInternational Women's Day be declared a public holiday.

Shinga Mudzimai Shinga!!!  Qina Mama Qina!!!

Article contributed by Miriam Chipunza of NEWU