Women leaders have called for urgent action to translate the country’s gender equality commitments into tangible improvements in communities warning that policies alone will not deliver lasting peace or protect vulnerable groups.
The calls were made during a recently held Women, Peace and Security Indaba where participants from across the country discussed ways of strengthening economic empowerment, promoting social cohesion and responding to emerging humanitarian challenges including the reintegration of Zimbabweans returning from South Africa.
The meeting focused on ensuring that women and other marginalised groups are able to enjoy their constitutional rights in peaceful and secure communities.
Speaking after the deliberations, Women Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) chairperson Muchanyara Mukamuri said discussions centred on the lived experiences of women and practical measures needed to promote peace and inclusive development.
“We were deliberating at the Indaba, focusing on women, peace and security agenda, particularly looking at the economic empowerment for marginalised groups in the communities. So, people were discussing, they were speaking from their heart, they were also speaking on lived realities and what can happen so that at least women enjoy their fundamental freedoms and entitlements.
“This is premised on the constitution of the land, the supreme law, on section 17, section 56 and section 80 where there is gender equality. But oftentimes, we see that women are not free to go about their lives because there is no peace in the rural communities or in urban communities.
“So, we were deliberating on actions that can then help to enhance the peace that we so desire. So that communique, which was built by the villages, we actually broke out into groups where we looked into issues and how best this can be implemented.
“But the most important thing that we discussed today and agreed was to move from policy to implementation and also include the monitoring aspects where we need to monitor how we are doing and inform any emerging issues.
“We also wish for these laws that we are talking about, all those sections that we are talking about including the regional and international protocols that Zimbabwe signed that we need to move from policy to implementation and also being cognisant that we already have an issue that is affecting the community where people who have been displaced from South Africa are coming to Zimbabwe.
“Are we prepared to receive them? If we are, what is it that we can do so that there is reintegration within the communities? Most importantly, we are worried about the children who have to leave school, who have to start a new environment. We are also worried about women who are sleeping in the open with their children. So, all this, for us, peace, positive peace is what we call for. Not just the negative peace,” said Mukamuri.
Participants at the indaba developed a communiqué outlining recommendations aimed at strengthening implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda with a particular emphasis on accountability and regular monitoring of progress.
The discussions also highlighted the importance of translating constitutional guarantees on gender equality into practical measures that improve women’s safety, participation in decision-making and access to economic opportunities.
Delegates said peace should be understood not only as the absence of conflict but also as the creation of conditions that enable women, children and other vulnerable groups to live in dignity, security and prosperity.
The indaba concluded with a renewed call for government, civil society and development partners to work together in implementing existing national, regional and international commitments on gender equality and peacebuilding while ensuring communities are prepared to support vulnerable returnees and displaced families
