Name, shame spouse bashers, legislator demands
PERPETRATORS of violence against women must be named and shamed to halt the scourge, a legislator has said.
Speaking at the International Women’s conference in South Africa on Tuesday, Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (Sadc PF) vice president Senator Monica Mutsvangwa stressed the need to expose perpetrators of violence against women.
“We need to name and shame perpetrators. This is not happening at all. There is a lot of violence going on against women,” she said.
Sen Mutsvangwa said parliamentarians should educate women about their rights as part of measures to empower them.
“The issue here is — do the victims know their rights? We need as parliamentarians, as leaders, to take the information to the people. Let the people in rural areas know their rights,” she said.
Sen Mutsvangwa said there is a need for a multi sectoral approach when dealing with issues of violence against women.
She said police, religious leaders and parliamentarians should work together to get to the root of the problem.
Giving a keynote address on Women in the Changing World of Work at the same event, Sen Mutsvangwa said parliamentarians should champion the implementation of constitutional provisions on gender parity in the Sadc region.
She urged parliamentarians in member states to uphold the constitutions and make sure the executive and everyone abides by it.
“We have wonderful constitutions in our countries, but are they being implemented? Is there enforcement and as members of parliament what are we saying?” she said.
“We need to make sure the good provisions which support gender parity are implemented.”
Sen Mutsvangwa said effective implementation of the Beijing platform of action is important for the attainment of the Sadc protocol on gender and development.
“You know we have the Sadc protocol which talks about 50/50 (gender equality) in Sadc. Is it being implemented? It’s not good enough to have a good document, but is it being implemented, is there enforcement and as members of parliament what are we saying? We need to ensure that what is in those constitutions is upheld,” said Sen Mutsvangwa.
She called on parliamentarians to support Sadc PF in its efforts to transform into a regional parliament.
“I am pleading with each and every one of you to support the Sadc PF in all its efforts to transform into a fully-fledged regional parliament with all the legislative rights to oversee all the parliaments in our member countries,” she said.— @ PrinceNkosy102.