Amnesty International and the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) have launched a campaign to document human rights abuses experienced by women informal cross-border traders, saying the evidence will be used to push Southern African governments to strengthen protections and improve working conditions.
The initiative follows Amnesty International’s regional study, Decent Work as a Human Right for Women Informal Cross-Border Traders in Southern Africa, which examined the experiences of traders in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia and Malawi.
The research documented reports of sexual exploitation, extortion, gender-based violence and poor working conditions at border posts.
Speaking during a workshop in Bulawayo on Tuesday, Amnesty International’s lead campaigner on informal cross-border trade, Tinashe Mujuru, said the campaign aimed to recognise women’s contribution to regional economies while highlighting the rights violations many face.
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“Our research focused on four Southern African countries—South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi—and specifically looked at women in informal cross-border trade,” Mujuru said.
“In Zimbabwe, we visited border towns including Beitbridge, Chirundu, Kariba and Mutare to understand how women are contributing to our economies while facing numerous challenges. Women are the backbone of many households, yet they continue to experience serious human rights violations.”
He said many women had come to regard abuse as a normal part of doing business.
“In many places, women have normalised these violations. They will say, ‘This is how things are done,’ but these are not normal practice, they are human rights violations.”
According to the research, some women reported being subjected to sexual exploitation and extortion at border posts, with officials allegedly demanding sexual favours in exchange for faster border clearance or easier customs procedures.
“There are employees at some entry points who take advantage of women by asking for sexual favours in return for easier movement across borders or to avoid delays,” Mujuru said.
The study also highlighted the lack of facilities for women travelling with young children.
“They need breastfeeding rooms, private spaces to change babies’ nappies and places where they can rest. Border posts are effectively their workplaces, and just like teachers or police officers have workplace facilities, these women deserve the same dignity.”
Mujuru said long delays at border posts also exposed women to health risks.
“Some women spend two, three or even four days at checkpoints without access to sanitation facilities, menstrual hygiene products or medication for chronic illnesses. These delays affect both their health and their livelihoods.”
He said Amnesty International would use the campaign to advocate stronger protection for women traders, including better security at border posts, improved responses to gender-based violence, greater accountability for abuses and wider social protection.
“We are advocating for social security for women in cross-border trade because this is work, and it deserves the same protections afforded to other forms of employment. Decent work is a human right.”
Mujuru said governments should align their policies with regional and international labour and human rights standards to better protect women working in the informal economy.
VISET’s Bulawayo coordinator, Prosper Masibi, said documenting abuses would strengthen advocacy by providing credible evidence.
“It is going to assist a lot because women will now be lobbying and advocating from a point of evidence,” he said.
“When they have documentation, videos or photographs, it becomes easier to validate their claims. It also gives them the confidence to say, ‘This is not right because it happened to me, and here is the evidence.’”
Ward 17 councillor Sikhululekile Moyo welcomed the initiative, saying it was long overdue.
“We also need transport operators involved because sometimes buses contribute to the challenges traders face. If we document these issues, some of the unnecessary obstacles can be addressed, including repeated inspections such as the second checkpoint in Gwanda,” she said.
Moyo questioned why traders who had already completed customs procedures at Beitbridge should face further inspections later in their journey.
“If we do not deal with these issues, we will continue to suffer. Documentation will help demonstrate the burden these unnecessary delays place on traders.”
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