EMTHONJENI Women’s Forum calls action on gender equality in workplaces

EMTHONJENI Women’s Forum has called for organisations to adopt gender equality and sexual harassment policies that deal with the issues women face in their workplaces, in order to bridge gaps in the Labour Amendment Act.

The Forum recently hosted a gender equality meeting in Bulawayo, attended by representatives from both the public and private sectors.

The meeting was held to educate gender focal people, supervisors and workers on gender equality and the New Labour Act. As organisations are not legally required to have a sexual harassment policy, many, simply do not.

Emthonjeni Women`s Forum director, Ms Sikhathele Mathambo, said there is a need for advocacy work for the law to mandate all companies to adopt these policies.

“The Labour Amendment Act doesn’t mandate the corporate world or any workspace to have a sexual harassment policy. As a result, you find that most workplaces have not enacted them because there is no law binding them to do so,” she said.

“This situation can be changed through advocacy and petitioning Parliament to make sure that this law is amended. Women face many challenges when they report issues of sexual harassment and instead of being viewed as victims, they are harassed.”

The Forum is implementing a five-year programme working with workers’ unions, management and national employment councils in Bulawayo, to ensure gender equality in workplaces.

“The first year is focused on trade unions, management and NECs having an appreciation of what gender equality entails and how it looks within the workspace. In the next stage, these players get to introspect their workspaces in terms of gender equality and sexual harassment policies. At the end of the five years, we want to look back and see changes,” said Ms Mathambo.

A representative from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender, Community, Small to Medium Enterprises, Mrs Dominica Mringi, said the Government was committed to addressing issues of gender equality and sexual harassment at workspaces, by creating a conducive legal environment.

“As a Ministry, we have come a long way in trying to implement the policies, which promote gender equality. Our protocols start as far as Beijing 1995,” she said.

“Government is now looking at Beijing Plus 30, looking at what improvements we have made. We are looking at the African Charter, and Sadc Charter and coming down to what our constitutions say and the policies used to promote the correct labour issues for both males and females. We are advocating for gender mainstreaming in all aspects. Let us introspect whether we are complying with our laws,” Mrs Mringi said.—@themkhust