Staff Reporter
Recently, Plan International held a girls’ symposium aimed at supporting vulnerable children particularly girls, to confidently proclaim their rights and influence policy-making at national, regional and international levels.
It is a known fact that its important that girls and women are empowered through supporting them to gain skills and knowledge they need to earn a living and stop depending on men.
During the Symposium, young girls from around the country had an opportunity to talk to policy makers and to raise issues affecting them in their daily lives. Some of the participants urged the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education; Zimbabwe Republic Police; Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development; Ministry of Health and Child Care; National Aids Council and Victim Friendly Unit to discourage some churches from forbidding followers from seeking treatment at hospitals.
Rutendo Munyuki (not her real name) who was among the participants said although she was advised to seek medical attention, her church did not allow her to do so and she is living with conditions such as speech difficulties which could have been dealt with when she was young.
The unavailability of sanitary wear in schools is the other problem being faced by girls while growing up. With the current price hikes, many cannot afford sanitary wear, as a packet is going for at least RTGS $25 in the supermarkets.
This has led to some girls using dirty cloths and other unsanitary methods which are dangerous as it can pose health complications when they undergo their monthly periods.
Women’s rights activists who attended the Women’s Indaba courtesy of Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) recently, which was held under the theme, ‘Towards and Inclusive and Gender-Equitable Economic Development in Zimbabwe’ have called upon the government to stop the distribution of free condoms and channel the resources to avail free sanitary pads instead.
Thandikile Mkwananzi who is a gender activist with WCoZ argued that, “Imagine you have three girls in your family, you add yourself then look at the price of sanitary pads. It becomes a burden and expensive. Then you look around and realise condoms are distributed for free even when sex is a pleasure and by choice. You can’t avoid or stop menstruation. If they (authorities) can afford to give male condoms to satisfy their sexual feelings, then they should be able to do the same with sanitary wear.”
Most recently many Zimbabweans online have started a campaign to mobilise sanitary wear, however this is unsustainable as these drop in the sea efforts will not ensure every child and woman has access to this basic necessity.
Linda Masarira, a Politician and Human Rights Activist who recently ran a campaign for sanitary wear said “Menstruation is not a choice. It’s nature. The price of sanitary wear needs to be regulated in Zimbabwe. More than 60% of women & girls cannot afford to buy sanitary wear. Help us provide sanitary wear to girls and women who can’t afford this basic need. Her Dignity is My Dignity.”
The Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube in his budget announced that there would be sanitary wear in schools, this is a great development as long as it is followed through and that girls are indeed assisted to access sanitary wear.
Meanwhile, the country still awaits the long awaited Education Bill to be gazette into law, which will ensure that a every child has access to basic state funded education.
Speaking to Nyari Mashayamombe on Identities TV Show, the outgoing Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Professor Paul Mavima assured the nation that the bill could soon be signed into law, and that the most important issues of basic access from infancy to lower high school (form 4) will be state funded, and that girls who fall pregnant will be kept in school.
The minister addressed this after the country wide debate during the education bill on issues of what basic education meant, issues of corporal punishment and pregnant girls in schools.
Speaking on the same show, the Human Rights Activist and Host of Identities Umhlobo TV Show, as well as Founding Director of Tag a Life International (TaLI) Nyaradzo Mashayamombe said that they were pleased with what the minister had done in supporting their campaign Every Child In School which sought to have poor children access education.
She said that she was particularly impressed and happy with the efforts the minister had given to ensuring that the bill was according to the constitution and that it promoted the basic human rights of the child.
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