The powerful women of Zimbabwe and the violence to silence them

By Marie Villumsen and Anna Villumsen

"Zimbabwean women are powerful, resilient and determined to have their voice heard and exercise their right to vote. But the regime has realised the powerful force of women in the democracy movement, and therefore they specifically target women" says Lovemore Madhuku. He is professor in constitutional law and also the Chairperson of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) which is one of the biggest civil society organization in Zimbabwe.

He is speaking about political violence against women in Zimbabwe at the International conference: Countries in Transition: Options for Women’s Political Participation in Copenhagen, Denmark on the 8th of December. The conference, which takes place during the international campaign 16 days of activism against Gender Violence, is initiated by the Danish organisation Africa Contact and 4 other Danish organizations with support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Women at the forefront for change
At the conference Lovemore Madhuku explains how Zimbabwean women have always been the main driving force for change in the country. They were at the front-line in the liberation struggle against the white minority rule in the 1970s and more recently in the pro-democracy movement against Robert Mugabe’s authoritarian regime. Women have therefore also suffered some of the heaviest violations by the regime, including violence, torture and rape,

“ One of the most evil forms of violence we have witnessed is when state sponsored youth militia force family members to have sex with each other. It breaks down communities, and no one will be willing to participate afterwards. The issue of political violence in Zimbabwe is not just about women, but about families and communities.” says Munjodzi Mutandiri, International Coordinator of the NCA.

The violence, which peaked during the elections in 2008, has left communities in a state of fear and apathy, and many Zimbabweans have withdrawn from the political arena or fled to neighbouring countries such as South Africa where they remain excluded from participating in elections and other political processes.

The protection of women is at the core of real democracies
Proffessor Madhuku stresses that the promotion and protection of women’s political participation is not just important for the sake of the woman herself and her family. But it is one of the most essential elements in the development of a real democracy where all citizens are free to participate and contribute to the shaping of their own future and the future of their community and country.

This is one of the reasons why NCA has launched the campaign Act Now Against Political Violence Targeting Women.

“We want to fight the violence which has been launched to frighten the women and thereby weaken the democracy movement, therefore NCA organizes workshops and seminars to teach and inform women about their rights. When the day comes when they are no longer afraid they will be the ones deciding who will be in power in Zimbabwe” Lovemore Madhuku tells a Danish journalist from the Internet based newspaper U-landsnyt during his visit.

In the meantime the NCA will advocate for a people driven constitution in Zimbabwe which ensures the equal participation of men and women. During his stay in Europe, he and Munjodzi Mutandiri have met with the Danish ministry of foreign affairs, the Danish foreign affairs committee, the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy and the European parliament.