MUTARE Women in Zimbabwe have called for the repealing of repressive and unjust laws such as Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), which should be replaced by accommodating legislation that considers the needs of the citizens.
This came out at the belated commemorations of the International Womens Day 2010 held in the city last week.
In an interview with The Zimbabwean on the sidelines of the commemorations, Irene Takundwa, from the Womens Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCZ) said freedom of expression must be a guaranteed right.
Media freedom should take the needs of the citizens and should recognise the right to freedom expression and association of the Zimbabwean women, she said.
Takundwa added that women in Zimbabwe felt that the right to form and hold opinions was critical for women.
We should be able to have and express opinions without fear. Women should have the freedom of print, electronic and artistic media. The government has an obligation to guarantee these fully and encourage an environment that limits control and censorship, she said.
Media houses before being awarded a license must show beyond doubt, a commitment to engage women in information dissemination by having sound gender policies, added Takundwa.
She added that media production houses must have a stipulated quota of women related issues to cover, over a period, or an issue to ensure past imbalances addressed.
The Zimbabwe media commission should play the monitoring role on this issue, she added.
She felt that gender training should be introduced at all journalism schools to ensure that reporters were not gender blind in their reporting.
The government should invest in community media, to allow for the decentralization of information dissemination and as a key development tool, which will enable women to participate fully in their communities and nation. Hate language, regardless of its origins, must not be used in the public media, said Takundwa.
In relation to state secrets (Official Secrets Act), Takundwa said women of Zimbabwe wanted these to have a time limit and be available for public consumption and inspection through media after their time frame is expired, which she said should be limited to a maximum of 10 years.
Post published in: Politics