daniel chigunwe
Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) has proposed a Gender Equality Bill that will penalise Government agencies and departments which fail to ensure gender parity in their appointments as required by the Constitution.
ZGC chairperson, Mrs Margaret Sangarwe-Mukahanana recently revealed this during the launch of the Workplace 50/50 initiative by the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Africa Trust.
“As the ZGC, we have come up with the Gender Equality Bill that we are pushing through Cabinet to provide penalties for those who don’t follow the Constitution on gender equality,” she said.
Mrs Sangarwe-Mukahanana added that the proposed Bill would provide mechanisms for recourse in the event that the Constitutional provisions are not followed.
“Part of our mandate includes engaging with Government ministries, departments and agencies on their gender equality initiatives and the workplace 50/50 can be another tool for consideration,” she said.
Mrs Sangarwe-Mukahanana welcomed SAT’s 50/50 initiative saying it dovetailed with their mandate to promote gender equality and said it was a smart way of promoting sustainable development and ensuring that no one was left behind.
SAT country director, Dr Mildred Mushunje, said ensuring gender equality at the workplace was one way of unlocking resources for organisations.
“Signing up to this initiative could unlock resources for organisations because there’s a lot of funding out there for institutions that adhere to principles of gender equality at the workplace,” she said.
It is also thought that promoting gender equality at the workplace was another way of fighting sexual harassment and abuse. The initiative’s launch came during the celebrations of the Women’s Month which ended last Thursday.
Online Reporter