‘Sexual harassment is a criminal act’

Fairness Moyana in Hwange
GENDER activists in Matabeleland North have called on the Government to come up with a stand-alone Sexual Harassment Act that will criminalise the offence amid calls for massive education on the scourge that often goes unreported.

Speaking during a provincial consultative meeting on the proposed principles on sexual harassment and gender equality in Hwange last week, the activists said an Act will provide a clear path on how to deal with the issue.

The meeting was organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development.

“Sexual harassment is real and in most instances women are the victims. Society has embraced the act as normal and see nothing wrong with it and that’s where education and awareness campaigns become relevant. As we support the enactment of a stand-alone Act which will criminalise sexual harassment, we also need to make sure that our communities are educated on the subject,” said Ms Gillian Hlatshwayo of Legal Resources Foundation.

Ms Nonceba Bhebhe from the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe said sexual harassment was contributing towards the impediment of women participation in political or public spheres.

“Most people don’t realise the trauma that comes with sexual harassment which results in emotional stress, humiliation and depression. You would discover that the result is that women end up being away from participating in public spheres, as by nature they don’t like violence,” she said.

Ms Bhebhe said sexual harassment was common at workplaces, church, universities, political circles and even on the streets and women often bore the brunt of this vice.

Buwalo Matilikilo Trust director Mrs Anna Mandizha-Ncube said perceptions about sexual harassment that trivialised the issue were rife among communities.

“Our culture and religions coupled with lack of knowledge have trivialised sexual harassment and made it look normal. There are many perceptions out there such as ‘women with beards or hairy are sweet’ while men don’t see anything wrong and regard it as a compliment women on the other hand feel degraded,” she said.

Pastor Emmanuel Nkomo said the church was not spared from the problem which he described disgraceful, arguing that some ministers of religion were turning out to be perpetrators.

“It is disheartening to note that sexual harassment is also in the church where we see some pastors and prophets being the culprits of the act which is disgraceful,” he said.

He added that there was a disturbing case where a senior church leader would handcuff his wife during sex and although the woman did not like that, she would be forced to cow into silence because of the position held by her husband.

“This shows how serious the problem is and that we need to do more and the crafting a stand-alone law that deals with the issue is important,” he said.

Legal Services director in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Mrs Juliet Mapungwana said the meeting was meant to come up with collective principles of the Sexual Harassment and the Gender Equality Bill.

“Part of the objectives of this meeting is to obtain the views and perceptions of various stakeholders with regards the development of principles of the Sexual Harassment and the Gender Equality Bill. We also want to establish a shared view on what should be constituted in the Principles of the Bills that is if the views are in the affirmative,” she said.

She said sexual harassment remained a serious issue as it is not clearly defined in current laws following the repealing of the Sexual Offences Act.

“After the repeal of the Sexual Offences Act and the same having been incorporated in the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, Sexual Harassment has remained a serious challenge yet it is not clearly defined in the existing laws. Issues of Sexual Harassment are currently enshrined in different pieces of legislation in particular the Labour Act, the Domestic Violence Act, the Criminal Law [Codification and Reform] Act and Statutory Instrument 1 of 2000 Public Service Regulations.