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Obey Musiwa and Remember Deketeke
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission is deeply concerned about the low participation of women in politics, with a study showing that over 90 percent of female parliamentary candidates surveyed reported experiencing some form of violence during the 2023 elections.
This alarming statistic was highlighted during the launch of the National Study on Violence against Women in Politics in Zimbabwe, which coincided with the commemoration of 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.
The report underscores the urgent need to expand prevention and response mechanisms to gender-based violence to include violence against women in political contexts, fostering a zero-tolerance environment for all forms of GBV.
Commission chairperson Mrs Margaret Mukahanana-Sangware said the study aligned with the objectives of the UN Women studies on global violence against women.
“The goal was to strengthen the evidence based on women’s political participation, experiences, and obstacles, as well as to contribute to the development of a global model for measuring and monitoring violence against women in politics.”
Commissioner Mukahanana-Sangware noted that threats of violence, harassment, and intimidation deter women from fully engaging in electoral processes, whether as voters, candidates, election officials, or political leaders.
The findings from the study called for a multifaceted approach to effectively tackle the issue of violence against women in politics.
“No single solution can eradicate this vice. We must adopt a wide array of measures across different levels to address the various forms of violence women face in the political arena, considering the complex contexts in which these indicators occur,” she said.
UN Women representative Ms Fadzai Traquino called upon Government to take decisive action to prevent violence against women in politics, highlighting it as a significant barrier to increasing women’s political participation.
Online Reporter