11/03/2024
International Women's Day Message-2024
Wedza Residents Development Initiative Trust (WERDIT) joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Women’s Day (IWD.) which is commemorated on the 8th of March for each and every year. This year’s theme for the day is Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress. IWD is a day set aside by the United Nations to take stock of the achievements made in ensuring the socio-economic and political empowerment and upgrading of women.
It is also a day to look at the challenges faced by women in their bid for decent survival against a history of a generally deep rooted patriarchy in all corners of the world. Equally stratagems to ameliorate these challenges are devised by different stakeholders drawn from the state and non-state actors on this day.
Gloria Steinem argues that, “The story of Women’s Struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights. Women’s rights are indeed human rights. Against this background WERDIT urges all residents to play their role in ensuring equity and equality in the ex*****on of all community activities at every level of development.
The empowerment of women begins by ensuring the girl child is afforded same opportunities with the boy child right in the home setup. Gone are the days when a girl child would be denied the opportunity to go to school. In this era household chores should be shared equally among the children regardless of s*x whilst the girl child should be exempted from heavy tasks, given their weaker biological make up. The boy child should be inculcated with the culture that, the girl child is just equal to him in all aspects from an early age. Catching them young on gender integration and inclusion guarantees our communities with a better future.
WERDIT cherishes the increase of ward councillors in Wedza district from two to six in the last Harmonized Election , with the chairperson being a woman. This is a significant improvement and has greatly amplified the women’s voice which is generally downtrodden in the district since time immemorial. We believe this is a result of collective efforts from diverse residents groups, state and non-state actors.
However, there is need for robust awareness programs on the need for gender equality in communities as people generally continue to undermine women leaders, particularly those who are traditional leaders. The female traditional leaders have raised these issues in many deliberating platforms created by WERDIT in the district. WERDIT is also concerned with the low participation of women in development structures including Village Development Committees (VIDCOs) and Ward Development Committees (WADCOs.)
The abuse of women through Early Child Marriages, r**e and other forms of violations are increasing unabated mainly due to poverty, bad religious practices and deep rooted patriarchy. This is more prevalent in marginalized areas including resettlement areas, peripheral areas in the district with areas including St Joseph Munzverengwi, Chard and Chirume being hotspots for these abuses. The law enforcement agents cite lack of resources including fuel and vehicles as the major factor denying them to regularly visit crime scenes in peripheral areas.
Against the above background WERDIT urges the government:
-To expedite the establishment of a One Stop Centre in Wedza district in response to abuses and violations which are mainly being perpetrated on women.
-. Ensure that women are at the core of the country’s development processes as outlined under Section 80 of the Zimbabwean constitution.
-Embrace the work on Gender Integration and Inclusion being conducted by the Civil Society Organizations
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