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By Staff Reporter
Women’s rights activist grouping, Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) opened its 13th chapter in Mt Darwin, Mashonaland Central Thursday.
This follows the district’s infamous position as having high cases of gender based violence against women and alarming child marriages incidences.
According to the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development this is due to the fact that women in the district especially in the lower part of the Dande Valley are not conscious of their rights.
Oscar Manyepwa, the ministry’s Mt Darwin district officer said the cases are also high due to the community’s cultural practices and beliefs.
Addressing Nhau/Indaba on the sidelines of the chapter launch, WCoZ National Coordinating Committee Vice Chairperson, Charity Maenzanise said, “It is those practices that have brought us here (in Mt Darwin district). We want to eradicate that. Women and girls are not aware of their rights, we also want to educate them on their rights.”
She hailed government for giving the coalition permission to operate in the district.
Speaking at the same launch Mt Darwin District Development Coordinator, White Nkoma encouraged the coalition to do its work without fear.
He also urged women to capitalise on governments resolution to have at least 30 percent women councilors in every local authority.
Nkoma further urged the coalition to spread the gospel amongst its membership so that they take the positions.
He also called on women to rally behind each other in the coming harmonised elections.
“Take advantage of your numbers, women are more than men across the country according to the latest census results so, why not vote for each other?”
WCoZ chairperson, Sibongile Mutemaringe said her team will soon embark on an outreach in Dande valley to help women there understand their rights as provided for in the Constitution.
“Many of them are not even conversant with the Constitution’s provisions, they don’t know their rights hence the high prevalence of gender-based violence and teen pregnancies incidences there,” she said.
She said her organisation is willing to empower women in the area to vie for positions of influence within their communities including in school development committees as well as village development committees.
The coalition is also aiming at achieving an equal representation of men and women in councils and parliament. Nhau/Indaba
