National Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe (NMWUZ) joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Women’s Day, a very important day where women’s rights and gender parity are commemorated.
This year’s theme, ‘Accelerate Action’
calls for an urgent need to take action to unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all women and girls, for a future where no one is left behind.
Women and the girl children are an important cog in our society and they remain marginalized and are struggling to make a positive contribution in all sectors of the social, political and economic spheres in the country.
We are therefore calling on government to expedite empowerment opportunities so that women and girls can be able to fully participate in programmes meant to uplift and benefit them.
Women and girls especially in rural areas of Zimbabwe,remain stuck in poverty while the majority of them in urban areas are earning a living in the informal sector where they are continuously harassed by security agents, meaning that their efforts to earn a living are not being recognized despite the economic challenges faced in the country.
Some women in rural areas still have no access to clean water, girls walking long distances to nearest schools, thereby getting into early marriages.
Girls in rural communities also lack access to sanitary ware thereby compromising their health and safety.We therefore call upon government and other stakeholders to join their hands together and address this important issue, for the sake of the girl child.
Some women in mining communities have been subjected to sexual harassment by the Chinese, while some have had their labour rights abused.
Even in politics, women are still marginalized and can’t fully progress due to some bottlenecks.
As NMWUZ we say Accelerate Action is not just a theme—it is a call to urgency, a demand for accountability, and a commitment to ensuring that the next decade of gender equality in Zimbabwe is marked by real, transformative progress.
NMWUZ President
Kurebwa Javangwe Nhomboka