Businesswoman, Maud Gweru, 44, is a recent victim of the arbitrary arrests women are being subjected to. She was nabbed as she talked on her phone outside a prominent bar in the city centre.
“I was waiting for someone outside the bar and the police arrested me for loitering for the purpose of prostitution. An old woman like me?” said Gweru. Gweru is now considering legal action against the police.
Gender Trust Director, Naomi Chebundo, castigated the police and blamed the government for signing laws to protect the women but not doing anything about it.
“What the police are doing is unfair. Despite the significant progress made in the area of policy and legislation reform, the legal, socio – economic and political status of women remains relatively low.”
According to the 2011 Human Development Report, Zimbabwe was described as a “highly unequal society”.
“Most women do not exercise the rights that laws specifically guarantee them due to ignorance of the law, its administration, economic hardships that make it difficult to pursue their legal rights, cumbersome court procedures, customary laws and fear of breaking valued relations with family kin,” she added.
Another rights activist, Concilia Andonda, said: “Zimbabwe ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women on May 13, 1991 and by doing so agreed to abide by the international standards in improving the rights of women. These arbitrary arrests are discrimination at its worst”.
Harare police spokesperson, Chief Inspector James Sabau, confirmed that the police were carrying out operations to flush out sex workers from the streets.
He denied that they were targeting innocent women, insisting that the arrests were made after proper surveillance by police in plain clothes.
Post published in: News