Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) has been instrumental in driving legal reforms aimed at bridging the gender inequality gap in the country, with evidence-based research enlightening the reforms.
Speaking at the Manicaland Provincial Gender Forum, ZGC chairperson, Commissioner Margret Mukahanana-Sangarwe, said their work has triggered a number of legislative and policy shifts over the past decade.
She cited the 2022 National Inquiry into the Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Young Girls and Child Marriages as an example, which exposed systemic vulnerabilities and catalysed reforms.
Commissioner Mukahanana-Sangarwe said the inquiry’s findings informed the crafting of Statutory Instrument 2 of 2024, which strengthened protections for children and young people.
She also emphasized the commission’s advisory role to Parliament and the executive, submitting recommendations that have influenced policies and legal amendments, including the Labour Amendment Act and Education Amendment Act.
She also called for continued investment in gender-focused research to guide future decision-making.
“We cannot legislate in the dark. If we are to dismantle the structural barriers to gender equity, then evidence must lead our advocacy and policymaking,” she said.
The forum is part of a countrywide consultation process that will feed into the National Gender Forum, where emerging priorities for the next decade will be tabled.
