EDWIN MOYO
GWERU-Women Coalition of Zimbabwe ( WCoZ) has urged women to embrace strides made by the Government towards uplifting their wellbeing as they were still lagging behind in accessing digital platforms despite improvements in other sectors.
WCoZ made the call during the month of women which is celebrated worldwide in March.
In her speech during this year’s International Women’s Day commemorations in Zvishavane last week ,WCoZ Gweru chapter chairperson, Nozipho Rutsate said there was need for the law enforcement agents to join hands with the community in combating digital violence against women.
“This year as we join hands with the world to commemorate International Women’s Day, we urge the government of Zimbabwe in partnership with other stakeholders such as the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the justice delivery sector and internet service providers to enforce the legal tenets of the Data Protection Act (Chapter 11.12).
“This is supposed to address the increasing problem of online violence against women and girls,” said Rutsate.
She added that a lot was yet to be achieved in attaining gender equality.
“As women let us be cognizant of the strides made by government towards women empowerment and gender equality as enshrined in the Constitution.
“We still have a long way to go to achieve equality however, International Women’s Day offers us a chance to reflect on progress made and take stock of the many achievements that have turned ordinary struggles into extraordinary milestones,” Rutsate added.
Over the past years the Government of Zimbabwe drafted policies and affirmative action programmes to empower women economically and politically.
This has seen women rising in sectors such as tourism, mining, agriculture, key government and private company positions.
The month of March is dedicated to women, where women’s contributions and achievements in society have been observed internationally since 1987 with the concept having been started in the USA in the state of California in 1978.
The 2023 commemorations are being held under the theme ‘DigitAll: Innovation and technology for gender equality.’
