adminOswell Moyo Chronicle Reporter
PRIVATE organisations have been challenged to come up with gender equity policies which can help effectively address issues of inequality and discrimination in the workplace.Bulawayo provincial development officer in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Vaidah Mashangwa, said a majority of private organisations have not established structures that deal with matters of gender.
Speaking at the launch of SOS Children’s Villages’ gender equality policy yesterday, Mashangwa said: “While the ministry has established a gender focal person in the private and public sphere, there’re few organisations that’ve gone out of their way to come up with their organisation’s gender equality policy.”
She added that such policies acted as a framework in guiding leaders, workers, managers and employees in dealing with gender-based violence affecting society.
Mashangwa challenged women to be self-reliant and independent to prevent their male counterparts from oppressing them.
“It must be borne in mind too that gender-based violence is greatly reduced when women and girls are engaged in various empowerment programmes. The government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development has a number of empowerment programmes that include mining, tourism, agriculture, value addition and beneficiation in line with Zim-Asset,” she said
SOS deputy national director, Lavert Zungunde said the gender policy was launched after the organisation realised that discrimination and inequality in treatment of the boy and girl child was rampant.
“Amongst children, girls are especially vulnerable to acts of violence, exploitation and abuse, and more so if they live in poverty. Girls who have lost their parents find it harder than boys to claim their legal property rights. This policy provides an entry point for integrating a stronger gender equality perspective into our work,” said Zungunde.
The launch was attended by officials from Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, Inkanyezi Development Trust, Plan International, Contact Family Counselling Centre, Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association and Bulawayo residents.
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