Women forced to strip for commemorating International Women’s Day
Yesterday was the 100th commemoration of International Women’s Day.
But after 100 years recognising the need for women’s rights and gender equality, what do women have to show for it?
In Zimbabwe, not much.
Female participants in a Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) march in honour of the day were forced to strip by male police officers.
According to SW Radio Africa:
Three women who participated in a Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) protest march were forced to strip off their clothes in the city centre of Bulawayo by the police, their regional leader has said. One of the three is heavily pregnant. The women were part of a march to commemorate International Women’s Day, which saw a total of 34 members of the group arrested, despite a High Court order saying the march could go-ahead. Barbara Tanyanyiwa of the ZCTU’s Regional Women’s Advisory Council, said trouble began when the police appeared and began dispersing them, and then three of their members were apprehended. “When they were going to the gathering point, that is Jason Moyo and Third Avenue, they were confronted by plain clothes policemen who said they should remove their ZCTU t-shirts.
Read more from SW Radio Africa
Also in Bulawayo, three members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise who were arrested at a 7 March Women’s Day protest were held in custody for the second night in a row – even though the police had refused to prosecute the case. The three were held in Bulawayo central police station. According to WOZA, “There is no flushing toilets; no food and we have to bring food in to every meal and risk theft of this food by officers; no blankets; no access to medication by those on anti retrovirals; no access to water; filthy cells and harassment by police officers. They have not had the right to see a lawyer.” Read more from WOZA
What difference has 100 years of women’s days made if even on this one day of the year women continued to be harassed, victimised and mistreated?