Campaign empowering female activists and the democracy movement

One year after the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) embarked on the campaign on mobilisation, education and protection of female activists at grassroots level, it is time to take a moment to look back at what we have achieved so far.

The ACT NOW Against Political Violence, Torture and Rape campaign has gained momentum, in particular in terms of mobilisation of female activists, who have been beaten down from years of repression.

 “Women are strong and believe we need to continue the struggle for democracy. Activism is within us and we will never move backwards. We will continue the fight until we have a people driven constitution in Zimbabwe” says a leading female activists in NCA.

NCA National Spokesperson, Madock Chivasa, speaking about the ACT NOW Against Political Violence Campaign

Mobilisation and education of women

In the past year, the NCA has embarked on a national outreach programme to encourage an open dialogue about the risks and challenges facing women and provide a platform for women to share their personal stories about the physical, mental and social attacks by the law enforcement agencies, militia and youth gangs.

Around the country women and men has gathered in small groups to break the silence and talk about the trauma resulting from being targeted by the state in response to their call for a people driven constitution. This has contributed to building women’s self-esteem as individuals and as active participants in the movement for a genuine democratisation of Zimbabwe’s repressive regime.

Responses to police brutality

In spite of the courage and unity of the democracy movement, activists are still putting their lives on the line when they take up the fight against repression. Many female activists have been faced with police brutality, and women who choose to become active in NCA are acutely aware of the risks of physical assaults, arrest and torture. By teaching women about their rights they have become better prepared for how to react, when the police interrupt demonstrations and NCA meetings.

“Women now stand firm against the police. We tell them that we will not run away, so they can just go ahead and arrest us all. If one of us is arrested we stand together as a group and tell the police men to arrest us all. The police will leave us alone because we stand firm” says one of the women, who has educated grassroots women.

Protection and support to female activists

No matter how firm the women stand, the effects of the medical and psychological trauma from political violence cannot be underestimated. In the past year, NCA has scaled up the efforts to provide counselling, medical and legal support for women, who have been subjected to political violence. No woman should be left alone with the physical, mental and social wounds from violence, rape and torture. Therefore NCA has put a system in place, where women can report any incidences of political violence to the local offices, who will then refer them to medical, counselling and legal support.

Unfortunately the Zimbabwean police and court systems are under Robert Mugabe’s control, and it is not possible to report cases to the police or take the perpetrators to court. The police routinely refuse to investigate any cases of political violence against civic activists, who are perceived as being affiliated with Mugabe’s political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Prosecution of perpetrators of political violence is therefore rare, and in the few court cases, the political elite has sought to threaten or pay the judges to rule in favour of the perpetrator. However, human rights lawyers and doctors still document all the cases, and are preparing to take them to court as soon as the political control of the court system is reduced. Attempts have also been made to prosecute perpetrators in other countries.

International lobbying

The women of Zimbabwe are not alone in their fight against repression. Throughout the past year, NCA and Africa Contact have put pressure on policy makers in Southern Africa and Europe to push for an end to political violence in Zimbabwe.

NCA has held a series of demonstrations around the campaign in Johannesburg. When the Southern Africa Development Community held an extraordinary summit in Johannesburg in June 2011, NCA handed in a petition calling on SADC to pressure Zimbabwe to put an end to political violence.

NCA Activists on their way to hand in petition to SADC

NCA Chairman Lovemore Madhuku and International Coordinator Munjodzi Mutandiri visited Copenhagen in December to mobilise support for the campaign. Civil society arranged a conference to address the issue of women’s political participation, and the Danish Government opened the doors to discuss the current political situation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs took note of NCA’s analysis of the Government of National Unity’s failure to provide stability and security for Zimbabweans, and NCA stressed that there is an urgent need to ensure that all Zimbabweans are free to choose their leader and contribute to building the future of the country.

In February, NCA’s partner Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU), went to Geneva to engage the United Nations in the fight against political violence. During Zimbabwe’s review by the Committee on the Elimination of all Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), RAU successfully lobbied the Committee to condemn the systematic use of political violence against women. The CEDAW Report called on the Zimbabwean Government to end political violence.

International Solidarity

On the International Women’s Day and May Day, activists from Africa Contact took to the streets to urge Danish citizens and policy makers to show their solidarity with the women of Zimbabwe. More than 500 Danes showed their support by having their picture taken for a virtual petition on Facebook.

Danes calling for an end to political violence against women in Zimbabwe

The events caught the attention of Danish policymakers and the then Minister of Foreign Affairs Lene Espersen said: “I think we should fight all attempts at trying to misuse women for political purposes. So let’s speak up and speak up loud for the Zimbabwean women”, when she had her picture taken for the petition.

Strengthening the movement for a democratic Zimbabwe

The campaign has not only contributed to improving the situation for female activists. It has also strengthened NCA as a movement. The fear and consequences of political violence is something that is present in the lives of all activists. By initiating discussions about political violence at all levels of the organisation, NCA has become even more relevant for its grassroots supporters, because the organisation acknowledges and seeks to assist the physical and psychological risks the membership face.

“The campaign against political violence is the first of its nature in NCA. We have always campaigned for a people driven constitution, and our members were positively surprised to see us talk about political violence. It has helped us mobilise our grassroots, especially women“, says a member of NCA’s Task Force.

But the struggle does not end here. Political violence, especially against women, has become integral to Zimbabwe’s political battleground as is still used as a tool to silence critical voices. It is expected that Zimbabwe will have a referendum on a new constitution this year and elections next year. Mugabe is not expected to give up power without a fight and is likely to launch a new campaign of intimidation and violence against the democracy movement. We need to prepare ourselves to protect women and provide support for the victims of political violence – and speak out to the international community on the continued human rights violations in Zimbabwe.

Do you have the PHD Syndrome?

By Kudakwashe Chitsike, Research and Advocacy Unit, Zimbabwe

“Unless and until we get rid of PHD, women will not go far in any field.” In this context a PHD is not a doctorate degree, it is an acronym that stands for Pull Her Down. The Pull Her Down Syndrome is sadly one that most women suffer from regardless of status in society.  Upon hearing the term for the first time I was shocked as it seemed in the group there were a few of us who had never heard of the PHD, I knew what it was but I hadn’t realised that the behaviour had its own acronym!

The syndrome is based on an inferiority complex, “We look down upon each other and ourselves by saying we are not able to do it, let the men do it.”
The Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) held 11 focus group discussions with women from different parts of the country to talk about politically motivated violence against women. The focus group discussions also explored what women are likely to face as we draw closer to elections, looking at what happened in past elections and what efforts are being made to protect women from violence.  Inevitably these discussions also brought about the issue of encouraging women to participate in national processes and aspire to hold positions of authority. It is within this context that we established that the PHD is holding women back as women do not support other women to occupy leadership positions. W “We grew up being told that men should be the ones’ to lead so we still have that mentality and letting it go is a bit difficult.”   It was stated repeatedly that when a woman is
standing for a political position, she has to struggle for acceptance from her peers as petty jealousies based mainly on gossip rear their ugly heads. The main reason for women selling out other women is seldom for their political affiliations but mostly because of the PHD syndrome; politics provides a
perfect cover for women to settle scores that have accumulated over years.

Another issue that features in the political PHD syndrome is marital status; if a woman is single, involved in politics and successful the most common misconception is that she used unscrupulous mainly immoral means to get to the top.“A married woman is said to be more honourable than one who is not married so when an unmarried woman runs for office she is judged harshly.”  If she is married then she doesn’t have a strong husband who can bring her to order as politics and marriage do not mix, never mind that men have been doing it for time immemorial.

A woman involved in politics, as with women in other male dominated fields has to work twice as hard to gain respect and ironically the people she has to impress the most are other women. Women would rather nominate a man than another woman for a political position, as “men are more educated and politically astute”, but when we asked how the women will ever become educated and
astute if we do not give them opportunities, the women had no response.

The women in the focus groups acknowledged that women need to be given the opportunities to learn on the job but stated that there is a need for a total change in mindset, so that we accept that women can do the same as men in politics and any other fields considered to be male domain. The way to address this is by having confidence building sessions for women which should start with
confidence in the home before addressing what happens in the public arena. The inferiority complex results in “women not standing up for what they want so if someone says that we are unable to do something then we start to doubt ourselves and believe that we will fail and thus we fail before we even begin.”

For there to be a change in mindset it is important to look at cultural and religious beliefs that perpetuate the myth that women are below men and they are overstepping their bounds when they participate in politics. It is important to involve the men and older women as they are the custodians of the beliefs that oppress women. Women’s organisations have to take on a much bigger role and
increase visibility particularly in the rural areas where cultural and religious beliefs which discriminate against women are deeply rooted.

It has been said often enough by women in high political positions that it is an uphill journey to the top for a woman to stand against a man for a position. They have to contend with sexual harassment and or sexual violence, superiority complexes from their male counterparts without having to deal with the PHD from women.  Instead of supporting the efforts of those who are brave enough to say ‘bring it on’ to the men, other women are scheming to find ways to bring her down.  The women stated that many times when a woman is elected, she stops behaving and thinking like a woman and takes on a ruthless male persona, where she has forgotten the struggles she endured as a woman to get there, she forgets about the women left behind in the struggle.

Women in these discussions varied in age, geographical locations, backgrounds and political affiliation but their responses were very similar with regard to PHD, “we women are our own worst enemies as we don’t want to see our peers succeed.”  The PHD syndrome however is not confined to the political realm it appears in every aspect of every woman’s life. It is about undermining the efforts
of another for usually very superficial reasons. As women we should implement programmes that encourage women and girls to grab equal opportunities with men as well as support each other in whatever areas we decide to venture into.

This post derives from RAU’s (the Research and Advocacy Unit) latest opinion piece. For more information about RAU go to: http://www.researchandadvocacyunit.org/

Africa Contact reporting from Zimbabwe

’I would like more women to participate in politics and leadership in Zimbabwe – they know about things’, a young Zimbabwean woman is telling us. We are visiting Zimbabwe for the 3rd time this year, just a little over two weeks after Denmark elected its first female prime minister and the question of women being a part of decision- making processes, leadership and politics is most present in our minds.

Although reports about Zimbabwean economy are describing a slow recovery after being battered by inflation and political turmoil, companies are still struggling to stay in business, which amongst other things are leaving many Zimbabweans with bleak job prospects.

Unemployment amongst youths in particular is high and many young Zimbabweans feel left behind by the politicians in terms of establishing measures that can support them in getting into higher education or finding a job. On top that tuition fees to enter higher education are almost impossible for students to pay. Furthermore, Zimbabweans we speak with are telling us about how especially young women are finding it difficult being without a job and stories about how they tend to prostitution in order to earn money to survive are becoming more common.

At the same time being unemployed and with depressing prospects of getting a job are making Zimbabwean youths more vulnerable of getting involved with politically motivated activities by the youth militia.

‘So many young people are sitting at home doing nothing, because if they can’t afford university, don’t have job and no money what should they do?’, another young women is asking.

We also meet young women and men who are trying to improve their situations by becoming members of youth organisations in order to promote a change. But just the word ‘change’ can cause you trouble, we are being told, as the word is automatically being linked to rebellious behaviour. So youth organisations are being challenged as potential members fear and sometimes face severe punishments if they engage in their activities. ‘You can be raped and even killed why should we engage in politics – I want to live!’, the young women says.

Reaching out to women in rural areas

Survivors of rape and sexual harassment experience deep trauma, not only because of the violent physical assault, but also because they might suffer from unwanted pregnancy, infection with HIV/AIDS and social marginalisation within their family and community.

Despite the trauma and stigma, some of the women overcome the multifaceted challenges they face in the aftermath of the assault and become deeply involved in preventing violence and supporting victims of political violence.

A female survivor of rape and severe beatings told us about her work with other female activists. She is part of a group of survivors of sexual violence, who engages in dialogue with female activists about the risks of being politically active and with women who have been subjected to political violence. She emphasises the need for the women to speak out and share their fear and stories. Her role is to lend an ear to the women who need it and to make sure they are referred to organisations that can provide the necessary medical and legal support.

She also stresses that one of the major obstacles for ending political violence against women is that the perpetrators act with impunity. The lack of possibility for survivors to seek justice through the police and courts, allows the perpetrators to continue committing these atrocities, without fear for the consequences.

Without an end to impunity, there will be no end to political violence in Zimbabwe.

Campaign taken to the grassroots as Zimbabwe prepares for an election

We arrived in Harare a week ago and it is clear that the talk of town is the upcoming election. A roadmap for the election is currently being drafted, and while people wait for the date to be announced there are many questions to be discussed. When will the election be? Who will win the election? Will the election be free and fair? Will there be violence?

Most people we talk to expect an increase in violence. There is a continuous flow of disturbing news coming from the rural areas. Bases are being set up by the security sector, youth militia and war veterans. People who are known supporters of the opposition or suspected to be positive towards the opposition are being visited by known or unknown men who warn that if they vote for the opposition blood will be flowing.

At the same time civil society is trying to unite and strengthen colloraborations before an election kicks off. This was demonstrated when Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO forum arranged a press conference to mark a strong response from civil society against the harassment and violence of human rights defenders.

“To come together and speak that is what we believe in – It is important that we speak out as an united group”, said Lovemore Madhuku from the NCA when he was asked about civil society’s response to the harassment and violence.

Meanwhile the NCA is preparing for the rollout of the campaign against political violence against women. The next step is to reach out to women in rural areas and to join forces with other civil society organisations to mobilise a strong and united voice to push for an end to political violence against women.

Only the strong women speak out

Today we had a meeting with a 22 year old female activist, who preferred to be anonymous for the sake of her security. She spoke about the issue of political violence and rape of women in Zimbabwe. She told us that it is difficult to mobilize young women to participate in demonstrations and other acts against political violence because of the risk involved for them,

”They say, why participate in this? I will get beaten up, and to what end”, she explained.

She said that there is a common fear amongst women in Zimbabwe, who have been subjected to political violence, of speaking out about their experiences,

”if you do not reach out to them they will not reach out themselves”, the young activist told us.

She also believes that reaching out to women before they are victimized is essential if you want them to speak out in case they are raped or beaten, because if not, it might be too late,

”It is difficult to tell a woman who has already been a victim of political violence that it is not her fault and that she does not deserve to be raped, because the wall has already come down.”

She regrets the fact that only around 30% of all female victims of political violence speak out and adds that,

”Only the strong women speak out; the ones who are already involved in politics or activism”

Africa Contact, activist, Harare, Zimbabwe February 20-2011