Minister of Women’s Affairs Oppah Muchinguri assumed the driver’s seat in implementing the Domestic Violence Act when it was passed by parliament in 2007 but at the same time recognised that the process would not work without civil society’s engagement.
She however faced an uphill struggle because her ministry only received a paltry 0.5 percent of the national budget.
Muchinguri had set up “gender units” in every ministry through her own initiative and women’s groups had welcomed her role in advancing women’s rights.
The Domestic Violence Act criminalised domestic violence and protected victims of domestic abuse.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 07HARARE532, GEARING UP TO IMPLEMENT NEW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT
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Reference ID |
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VZCZCXRO6333
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0532/01 1661022
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151022Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1600
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
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RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1495
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RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1849
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC//DHO-7//
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK//DOOC/ECMO/CC/DAO/DOB/DOI//
RUEPGBA/CDR USEUCOM INTEL VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ23-CH/ECJ5M//
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000532
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR L.DOBBINS AND E.LOKEN
TREASURY FOR J. RALYEA AND T.RAND
COMMERCE FOR BECKY ERKUL
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
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EB/EX GALE GRAY, DENNIS WINSTEAD
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: GEARING UP TO IMPLEMENT NEW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT
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Summary
——-
¶1. (SBU) After years of debate and controversy, Parliament
in February passed the Domestic Violence Act which
criminalizes domestic violence and protects victims of
domestic abuse. While President Mugabe has yet to set the
date for the Act to become law, the Ministry of Women’s
Affairs and local women’s groups have begun to map out its
implementation. The Act is viewed as a milestone by women’s
organizations. Nevertheless, they acknowledge that Zimbabwe
still has a long way to go toward achieving gender equality.
End Summary.
————————————-
Domestic Violence Act Finally Reality
————————————-
¶2. (U) In 2005, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs formed a
Legal Experts Committee to draft a Domestic Violence Act to
help prevent domestic violence and protect victims of
domestic abuse. Last year the draft bill was presented to
the Cabinet’s all-male Committee on Legislation. Zimbabwe
Women’s Lawyers Association (ZWLA) Director Emilia Muchawa
described to pol assistant the challenge of presenting the
bill to the Committee and how it had impressed upon her the
need to have female lawyers in the GOZ Cabinet and in the
lower house in Parliament. She said one Minister on the
Committee, for example, had warned his colleagues that “if we
are not careful, all men will be arrested.” Nonetheless, the
Cabinet approved the bill and sent it to Parliament, where it
met resistance, in particular, from traditional Chiefs and
some opposition MPs. MDC MP Timothy Mubhawu made headlines
when he decried the Act as “against God’s will.” Women’s
groups responded in protest and the bill eventually passed
Parliament and was signed by President Mugabe. He has not
yet set a date for the Act to become law.
——————————————— —-
Women’s Ministry, Gender Groups Eager To Kick Off
——————————————— —-
¶3. (SBU) Having lobbied hard for passage of the Act, the
Ministry of Women’s Affairs and several gender-rights NGOs
have continued close consultations to ensure the Act is fully
implemented. They recognize that previous social
legislation, such as the Sexual Offences Act, failed to
affect behavior due to inadequate planning and training ) an
outcome they are determined to prevent in this instance.
Most recently, the gender-based groups gathered in May at a
coordination meeting organized by the Ministry and the United
Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). The meeting
included representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the
Attorney General’s Office, the Chief’s Council, the police,
victim-friendly courts, and civil society. Muchawa told pol
assistant that the Ministry of Justice was finalizing
enabling regulations and that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs
recognized the need to task different gender groups with
implementing various parts of the legislation. For instance,
ZWLA was tasked to train magistrates, clerks of court,
HARARE 00000532 002 OF 002
Chiefs, and the police to understand domestic violence
better. Other NGOs had conducted studies to determine the
extent of the problem in Zimbabwe.
¶4. (SBU) Minister of Women’s Affairs Oppah Muchinguri has
assumed the driver’s seat in implementation of the Act and,
so far, is working well with civil society. Zimbabwe Women’s
Resource Centre Director Dorothy Adebanjo told us that
Muchinguri recognized that the process would not work without
civil society’s engagement. The women,s groups, however,
still faced challenges, including inadequate resources. The
Ministry of Women’s Affairs currently receives a paltry 0.5
percent of the national budget despite calls to allocate more
resources to gender and equality issues. Through her own
initiative, Muchinguri has set up “gender units” in every
Ministry and women’s groups have welcomed her role in
advancing women’s rights.
——-
Comment
——-
¶5. (SBU) The passage and implementation of the Domestic
Violence Act is a long overdue and important step for efforts
to curb domestic violence. Nonetheless, domestic abuse is
deeply rooted in Zimbabwe. Its eradication will ultimately
require a cultural shift and the benefit of economic
recovery. The Act’s passage shows that Zimbabwe’s women’s
movement continues to gain political clout, especially those
segments that have aligned themselves with Muchinguri. She
has emerged as a key player and, some say, vice-presidential
contender within ZANU-PF. Her close connection with the
ruling party, however, has alienated some gender groups that
do not want to become tainted by the Mugabe regime.
Meanwhile, the MDC continues to be caught flat footed ) or
even wrong-footed ) when it comes to gender issues,
partially explaining why ZANU-PF has traditionally been
assured the women’s vote.
DELL
(18 VIEWS)
