A MALE pressure group, Varume Svinurai/ Vhukani Madoda has sent a petition to MPs in a last minute bid to challenge parts of the draft constitution which they deemed discriminatory to men.
Report by Veneranda Langa
The petition, which was put on individual MPs’ pigeon holes, sought to challenge Section 48.2 (b) which deals with exemption of women from the death penalty and sections that deal with elaboration of certain rights.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment 20 Bill is currently before the House of Assembly, but it is unlikely that the group’s demands will be incorporated into the final document.
National co-ordinator of the group Fred Misi yesterday said the new proposed governance charter discriminated against men.
“This is the last chance we have to get the supreme law to recognise groups of people like men whose rights are unfairly put in the new draft constitution,” said Misi.
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“An example of infringement on men’s rights is the death penalty where women are exempted and during the Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference it was agreed that the clause would be removed, yet it was not removed.”
The group added: “Men are a homogenous group which is not recognised, while women, the youth, children, the disabled and other people’s rights are recognised. Current census results show that men are a minority and, therefore, their rights need to be protected. Gender-based initiatives have tilted scales in favour of women who are the majority and hence men’s rights need to be protected.”
Varume Svinurai said if legislators failed to sort out the anomalies while Parliament is scrutinising the draft constitution, it would be difficult for future generations of men to be recognised by the Supreme law of the country.
“Women were also removed from the death penalty and this is discriminatory and has no place in modern society where both men and women are equal.
“This was unanimously agreed at the Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference, but unfortunately it was not repealed from the draft,” the group said.