EJWP urges authorities to rethink economic empowerment policies
By Dylan Murambgi
ECONOMIC Justice for Women Project (EJWP) recently approached parliament and the Women’s Affairs Ministry pleading for the urgent reconsideration of economic empowerment policies.
A copy of the submissions made to the high level policy making departments called for the alignment of laws that are relevant to economic governance to the Constitution.
“This includes but not limited to Communal Lands Act, Rural Land Act, Mines and Mineral Act (Chapter 21:05) and the Urban Councils Act. Currently, these laws are gender neutral while the constitution has moved significantly towards advancing the rights of women,” the papers said.
The dossier decried the fact that Zimbabwe is lagging behind in implementing the existing national, regional and international protocols.
“By implementing what the government has committed at national and international levels significant milestones can be achieved in advancing the participation of women in the economy,” the submissions said.
The top young women’s group called for the urgent need to rethink the development model as a starting point.
The organization said the economic or financial policy needs to be recalibrated to depart from the failure of not deliberately targeting what is responsible for primitive accumulation, exclusion of women, discrimination and violations of women’s rights does not lead to prosperity for that underclass who are victims of the same system and structures.
“There is also need to embrace human rights as part of economic and financial policy making as part of normative framework and lived political culture as well as move towards transforming our economy into an alternative Care economy.
“This kind of economy recognised the role of women in the sectors that archaic policies fixated on mainstream economics turn a blind eye on,” said EJWP.
The Civil Society Organisation called for the removal of structural barriers to women accessing funding either at the WMBZ or specific government funds.
“This means rethinking documentation and security required to access such funds,” added EJWP.
