WOMEN’S rights groups have demanded an end to political violence targeting female politicians.
The women have also called for a code of conduct for political parties in the wake of increasing incidents of political violence, mostly against women ahead of the 2023 polls.
Speaking yesterday during commemorations of the 22nd anniversary of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, hosted by the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) national co-ordinator Sally Ncube said it was disheartening that political parties had normalised hate speech and violence against women.
“Our political parties are not regulated; they get away with bad behaviour that threatens our peace. There is no code which states that if they disrespect the Constitution, how are they going to experience the wrath of law? Women and children are being abused,” Ncube said.
She said political violence had been normalised, hence the need for political reforms.
“There is normalisation of hate speech and polarisation which threatens peace. So as we go to our 2023 elections, it’s a co-ordination to then say let’s accelerate political parties to make them accountable so that they respect human rights (sic). There should be introduction of stiff penalties,” Ncube said.
Deputy director in the Women Affairs ministry, Steve Nyaruwata said government had zero tolerance to political violence.
“We have zero tolerance to any form of violence. There is a document that the government signed with the United Nations, civil society organisations, and religious leaders to ensure that there is no violence in the country,” Nyaruwata said.
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NPRC commissioner Lilian Chigwedere said the media should avoid hate language and report accurately.
“We should continuously engage with our media sector so that there is positive peace reporting. The use of abusive language is a big deterrent to women’s participation and to peace building initiatives and other national processes. Journalists should be aware of the terminology they use when reporting to ensure that women feel safe when participating. Women should take part in decision-making processes and be in charge of the security agenda in Zimbabwe,” Chigwedere said.
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