Girls dropping out of school

By Melody Gwenyambira

Zimbabwe has managed to achieve gender parity at primary school.

The same however cannot be said of the secondary and tertiary levels.

“Girls tend to drop out of school during the key years of Form 3 and Four. At Tertiary level only 43 percent of females are enrolled in University,”The United Nations Women Representative to Zimbabwe Kemal Mustafa has said.

Mustafa noted this on the backdrop of the Commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child.

“Factors behind these disparities include poverty, unplanned teenage pregnancies, early marriage, violence perpetrated in the school and at home and absence of role models to motivate especially rural girls.’

Making incremental changes in how education is accessed, designed and delivered can strengthen girl’s participation, learning and empowerment.

This means solutions as simple as finding creative transportation for girls to get to school whether by bus, bicycle or even canoe.

“Education is everybody;s business, but business as usual is not enough to overcome the barriers to girls’ education. Efforts must be scaled up on all fronts to increase access to education and to enhance the transition from primary to secondary education,” Mustafa added.

Girls who also spoke out revealed that inadequate sanitation facilitates for girls, the burden of gender roles at home, harmful religious and traditional practices, negative attitude towards girl’s education and their vulnerability to HIV contribute to girls dropping out of school. 

“We need to create conditions where girls and young women are safe, healthy, educated and fully empowered to realize their potential to transform families, their communities, their economies and their societies,” added Mustafa.

Gender inequities

By Melody Gwenyambira

Gender inequity and gender based violence can create barriers for the uptake of health services and as a result can limit uptake of PMTCT or HIV prevention services.

This was revealed by Dr Barbra Engelsmann the Country Director for the Organisation for Public Health Interventions and Development (OPHID Trust)

The media breakfast meeting was hosted to place a spotlight on gender-based barriers in Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission.

“Gender related issues and gender based violence are among a number of barriers affecting the number of women being tested for HIV, disclosing their status to partners, adhering to treatment regimens and seeking antenatal care.’ Dr Engelmann added.

In Zimbabwe, significant progress has been made to ensure universal access to the PMTCT services, yet if the country is to achieve its targets as set out in the National Strategic Plan to Eliminating New HIV Infections in Children and Keeping Mothers and Families Alive:2011-2015 there is need to address barriers to the uptake of these families.

“In all sectors including health, there is need to address gender barriers so as to ensure that women and their families can access quality care and lead healthy fulfilling lives. It is critical for all stakeholders to work together to end gender-based violence against women and increase access to and utilization of PMTCT services.”

End sexual harassment now!

                    By Melody Gwenyambira

Men and women from different walks of life have put their mark on the public sphere calling for an end to harassment of women in public places, in the home and in workplaces.

The first ever Women’s Arts Festival preluded to the 16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence unveiled a mural painted on the public toilet at Copacabana terminus.

WAFEST decided on Copacabana due to the high instances of sexual harassment of women that go on there on a daily basis.

H-Metro spent some time at the busy terminus and witnessed touts harassing women.

“These women are not dressed properly. They are showing us their legs and we can even see their panties. Isu hatidi vakadzi vanopfeka kunge pfambi. Ngavaiite zvisvinhu,” one guy identified as Thambi said

Some women have had their clothes ripped apart. Some taxi drivers have been kind enough to open their doors and let these women in and drive them to safety.

“Hativarove hedu asi tikavaseka nekusvereredza vanoiita bho and havazozviite futi,” Jephfat Makanda a kombi driver said.

Jephfat’harassment is justified by myths and misinformation. These myths create a vicious circle and they are used to excuse harassers and blame the harassed, and excuses and mislaid blame are reinforcing the idea that sexual harassment is acceptable, forgivable, manly, ‘cool’, or the fault of the harassed.

 As a result, many people who witness harassment choose not to react or intervene. And with no consequences, harassers are only encouraged to act again and again.

It does not have to be this way.

According to Wikipedia Sexual harassment is any form of unwelcome words and/or actions of a sexual nature that violate a person’s body, privacy, or feelings and make that person feel uncomfortable, threatened, insecure, scared, disrespected, startled, insulted, intimidated, abused, offended, or objectified.

Section 52 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No 20 of 2013 provides for the Right to personal security.

Sub section A states that every person has the right to freedom from all forms of violence from public or private sources.

Sexual harassment is never the fault of the harassed. To harass someone is a choice the harasser makes and regardless of what the harassed is wearing or doing, and this is never an excuse for harassment. It is easy the harassed is never, partially or fully, responsible for any sexual harassment that they are subjected to.

WAFEST on the other end has decided to reveal the real challenges faced by women that can be overcome if communities act against these atrocities.

“The initiative is based on a belief in cultural and creative expression as a means to affect deep and lasting social change.  Through art, the Festival is seeking to challenge many of society's deepest assumptions, built upon the power of artistic creation and expression to spark new ideas, catalyze critical thinking, elicit new actions, inspire individuals and create visions,” Lyneth Mtemeri the festival coordinator said.

The inaugural festival was held under the theme Challenging the visible, discovering the invisible.

The event was held at Alliance Française last Saturday before it moved to Copacabana Terminus. The festival signifies a continuation of efforts towards enhancing and empowering women and am proud to be part of the first edition” said Edith WeUtonga.

“The initiative is inspired by the belief that violence against women is a coward hiding its face in the makeup of silence and only when we begin to challenge these visible structures of violence do we truly discover the true and female parliamentarians are expected to attend. In highlighting the plight of women through the arts, the festival aims to make the campaign against gender based violence a 365 days a year campaign. Young Voices Network hopes to make this festival an annual event,” Lyneth added.

Women’s Arts Festival on Sunday

By Melody Gwenyambira

Young Voices Network through its Sistaz in Solidarity project, this Saturday host the first ever Women’s Arts Festival in Zimbabwe as a prelude to the 16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence.

The inaugural festival will run under the theme “Challenging the visible, discovering the invisible” and will be held at the Alliance Française.

“The festival seeks to reveal challenges that are faced by women that can be overcome if communities act against these atrocities. Female artists from all genres will converge on Saturday engage in creative lobbying and creative dialogue on violence against women in 10 different acts all interwoven to drive home the 16 steps policy agenda advanced by the UN Women.” said the Festival Coordinator Lyneth Mtemeri.

The initiative is based on a belief in cultural and creative expression as a means to affect deep and lasting social change.  Through art, the Festival is seeking to challenge many of society's deepest assumptions, built upon the power of artistic creation and expression to spark new ideas, catalyze critical thinking, elicit new actions, inspire individuals and create visions.

 “Highlights at the festival will include acts by renowned artists Selmour Mtukudzi, Edith WeUtonga, Cindy and Pauline, Diana Samkange and many more. Umoja will perform the main act that looks at the different faces of violence against women.”

“The festival signifies a continuation of efforts towards enhancing and empowering women and am proud to be part of the first edition” said Edith Weutonga

For an hour, the festival will be moved to Coppa Cabana Terminus for the unveiling of a mural painted on the public Toilet encouraging an end to harassment of women in public spaces, in the home and in workplaces. WAFEST decided on Coppa Cabana due to the high instances of sexual harassment of women that go on there on a daily basis.

“The initiative is inspired by the belief that violence against women is a coward hiding its face in the makeup of silence and only when we begin to challenge these visible structures of violence do we truly discover the true and female parliamentarians are expected to attend. In highlighting the plight of women through the arts, the festival aims to make the campaign against gender based violence a 365 days a year campaign. YVN hopes to make this festival an annual event,” Lyneth added.

Zimbabwean women empowered

                     

                        By Melody Gwenyambira

Five Zimbabwean women recently participated in the State Department’s TechWomen initiative.

The programme empowers, connects, and supports the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from Africa and the Middle East by providing them the access and opportunity needed to advance their careers, pursue their dreams, and inspire women and girls in their communities in launch careers in STEM fields.

“During the five week program in Silicon Valley, the entrepreneurial capital of the United States, these five Zimbabwean TechWomen strengthened their professional capacities through mentorships at innovative firms such as Adobe (the digital media giant), and showcased their own initiative by organizing a panel on entrepreneurship in emerging markets at Stanford University,” US Ambassador o Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton said.

 Between 1996 and 2004, averages of 550,000 small businesses were created every month in the United States.  These small businesses create between 60 and 80 percent of new jobs in the United States each year. 

“It’s encouraging to see so many young people creating a positive future in Zimbabwe through. Entrepreneurship fuels innovation, makes industries more competitive, and creates meaningful jobs.  While many of you have heard of the largest and most successful American companies like Google, Coca-Cola, or Microsoft, it is small businesses that drive the U.S. economy today.  Entrepreneurs are critical to this job growth in my country, and can be equally important in Zimbabwe,” Ambassador Wharton added.

The word “entrepreneur” comes from a 13^th century French verb meaning “to do something.” 

“One reason that entrepreneurs are so important for an economy is that they innovate.  Today, an entrepreneur is an agent of change.  Entrepreneurial men and women not only “do something,” but they do new things or old things in new ways.  Successful entrepreneurs expand not just the size of their own businesses or pocket books, but they expand the size of the economic pie for everyone.”