New RAU director confident

A holder of a Master’s degree in Law from Stellenbosh University in South Africa, Chitsike says being a female director could be a challenge.

“I am inspired by many women directors who have done it before me. In Zimbabwe, the number of women heading organisations has increased significantly. I believe women can do it,” she said.

Informed by the research RAU had conducted, Chitsike said the Zimbabwean political environment was not conducive for women to actively participate in elections, despite women forming the majority of the population and being the biggest game changers.

“Perpetrators of the 2008 atrocities have not been brought to book and women are afraid of participating in elections because of past experiences. One might not have been sexually violated but a lot of people know of friend and relatives who have been affected.”

After documenting violence against women in 2008, RAU released a report on March 20, 2009. The report noted that, “violence denies women their most basic human rights and unless the government’s legal and security departments are revamped and the culture of aggression and impunity is done away with, women will continue to be susceptible to violence inside and outside their home”.

Chitsike said: “Sexual violence has been used against women because it goes to the core of the heart. For a married woman, you know that the only person you are supposed to be intimate with is your husband and when you are raped you feel exposed. Most women told us they faced rejection from society and their husbands after being raped,” she added.

According to the Zimbabwe Rape Survivors Association, during the 2008 election, an estimated 2,000 women and girls were affected by politically-motivated sexual violence in Zimbabwe.

“Women should speak out when these things happen. During the 2008 election, women only started opening up two years later,” she said.

Passionate about women’s empowerment, the new RAU boss said she grew up in a household where her mother was a gender activist.

“I grew up in an environment where fighting for my rights was important. I tried not to be my mother but I found myself championing women’s rights,” she said. She said representation of women in positions of leadership should not be about numbers alone but translates to empowerment.

“Numbers alone are not enough, we should know the kind of women we will be electing as leaders in the coming election. Women should go under intensive training for confidence building because very few women speak out,” she said.