SPEAKER of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda yesterday urged women to respect cultural norms even if they are well-educated and fully aware of their rights.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
Speaking at Parliament Building at the launch of the United Nations He for She campaign, which calls for the advancement of women, Mudenda said the new initiative should be contextualised within local cultural and traditional practices.
“If you do not walk with the (traditional) chiefs in your campaign, then you have not started anything, because in our daily lives we are creatures of culture,” he said. “Our culture does emphasise the importance of women, but when some women get degrees they tend to be confused and they forget that even if you are educated, you are a cultural woman, and you are so important, particularly those that are married.”
Mudenda urged male MPs to play a big role in the campaign by supporting gender equality and equity through their legislative roles, as the Constitution and several pieces of legislation required respect of women, equality and equity.
Senate President Edna Madzongwe launched the Zimbabwe Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Strategic Plan 2015-2018, which she said was aimed at strengthening co-operation among women legislators across the political divide. Women MPs’ representation has gone up to 124 against 370 for males, translating to 34%.
“However, this is still below the constitutional benchmark of 50/50 gender representation in Parliament. The burden is even heavier for women MPs, who, alone for a long time, have been carrying the burden of gender mainstreaming in Parliament debates and legislative processes,” Madzongwe said.
She said the strategic plan was critical in assisting the caucus in identifying and implementing actions to achieve gender mainstreaming, equality and equity objectives. UN Women country representative, Delphine Serumanga urged male MPs and those in positions of power to commit themselves to bringing, before Parliament, motions on women equality and empowerment.
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Women’s Parliamentary Caucus chairperson, Monica Mutsvangwa said gender equity should begin at home to ensure boys understand that they are equal with girls.
Meanwhile, President Robert Mugabe will today officially open the Fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament, where he is expected to lay out the legislative agenda, despite claims by the opposition that he had imposed himself without invitation.
Opposition chief whip in the National Assembly, Innocent Gonese said despite their earlier objections, MDC-T MPs would attend the occasion.
MDC-T, led by its vice-president, Nelson Chamisa, had said it was not necessary for Mugabe to announce the legislative agenda by officially opening Parliament, as the norm ended with the old Constitution.
