Public Sexual Harassment Policy hailed

Fatima Bulla Musakwa

LAST week’s approval of the Zimbabwe Public Sexual Harassment Policy by Cabinet has been hailed as a milestone towards curbing the abuse and gender based violence which are rife in the workplace.

One in three employees fall victim globally.

Delivering the ninth post-Cabinet briefing in Harare last Wednesday, acting Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere said the policy intends to protect the dignity of workers in the public service.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Professor Paul Mavima said Government, which is the largest employer in Zimbabwe, has taken the lead in protecting workers from harassment at the workplace.

“There was no dedicated policy and there were gaps in the legislation which made it very difficult to convict the perpetrator and as a result the policy will shape the legislation. Now that we have a policy in place we have to make sure that we mainstream the principles of the policy into the legislation and it’s coming in at a very opportune time while we are in the process of amending the Public Service Act, which is the principal legislation that covers the public sector,” said Prof Mavima.

He added that the policy will provide a framework for creating a workplace environment free from sexual harassment and exploitation.

“The policy we are having provides for remedial action and counselling and also offering socio-psycho support to the perpetrators but also disciplinary and punitive measures to curb such occurrences,” Prof Mavima said. In its formulation process, the policy also benefited from a broadly consultative process which included support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and ILO under the Global Spotlight Initiative.

This is a partnership funded by the European Union to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

In Zimbabwe, the Spotlight Initiative implementation is conducted by six UN agencies including United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) and UN Women.

UNDP resident representative, Ms Mia Seppo commended the policy as a clear commitment towards eradicating the scourge of sexual harassment and promoting gender diversity within the public service.

“As the Government of Zimbabwe is working towards transforming and modernising its Public Service, in line with its development imperatives espoused in the National Development Strategy 1 and Vision 2030, eradication of all forms of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse is a critical step towards this transformative process,” she said.

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions gender specialist, Ms Fiona Gandiwa Magaya said while the policy is good and will go a long way in curbing GBV in the public sector, it would be more impactful if Government also adopted a national policy on GBV and SH covering both private and public sectors.