The Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE) says there is a need to address issues of sexual harassment in women Parliamentarians as it hinders many women from taking leadership positions.
This call comes after the official opening of the First Session of the Tenth Parliament on Tuesday.
WALPE, an organisation that identifies, grooms and nurtures women aspiring to run for public office, called for the enactment of a broader Sexual Harassment Act, that will address the issue while incorporating view from both the private and public spheres.
“WALPE encourages lawmakers to respect each other’s views regardless of political party representation, gender or tribe. In previous sessions of Parliament, there has been noted concern of heckling of women Members of Parliament with some going as far as name-calling in the August House,” said the academy.
“Issues of sexual harassment of women parliamentarians need to also be addressed with the urgency and severity that they deserve, as this is a scourge that has hindered many women, young women and women with disabilities from taking up leadership positions.”
According to WALPE, there would be no place for harassment if legislators went on with their mandate.
“We would like to urge the legislators not to forget their elected mandate which is to represent their various constituencies and enact laws that see the progression of every Zimbabwean citizen. It is against this background that legislators be mindful of the different Bills that were in their various stages and ensure that they incorporate the needs and wants of their constituents,” said the women’s academy.
WALPE also called on the chief whips of the two political parties represented in Parliament -Zanu PF and CCC, to make sure that legislators from their respective political parties attend to their parliament duties, which include but are not limited to question-and-answer sessions and committee meetings, in order to provide informed briefings to their constituencies and participate in parliament debates from knowledgeable positions.
The organisation also stated that Sections 17, 56, and 80 of the Constitution should be aligned with other Acts in order to protect women from gender discrimination.
