Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. THE United Nations Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls has called on Zimbabwe to fast-track the harmonisation of laws with constitutional gender equality provisions.
The UN group urged authorities to prioritise investment in the girl child’s education, safety and rights to bridge persistent gaps.
The UN group acknowledged the country’s Constitution as a robust framework for gender equality, including section 80 which bans discriminatory laws and customs.
However, the group highlighted critical shortcomings owing to funding challenges, crippling services related to gender-based violence, among others, amid donor funding cuts.
“The Constitution requires the promotion of women’s full participation in all areas of society on an equal basis with men, including in institutions and agencies of government at every level and prohibits discrimination based on sex and gender,” the UN group said in a statement.
Despite these advancements, substantial challenges in achieving substantive gender equality remain due to inadequate implementation, allocation of resources and patriarchal attitudes within society.
“Furthermore, the persistent undervaluing of girls, who are denied their rights due to child marriage, limited education and widespread gender-based violence both online and offline, requires urgent attention.”
The UN group encouraged the government to ratify the outstanding core human rights instruments, including the Convention against All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
“Zimbabwe has an impressive and progressive constitution that, with a few exceptions, aligns closely with its international obligations towards gender equality,” the statement read.
The UN group bemoaned underfunding of the Women’s Affairs ministry, which was allocated less than 0,5% of the national budget.
“The experts urge the government to ensure adequate human and financial resources for the ministry, especially at a time when cuts to donor funding have adversely affected direct service provision, including, for example, shelters for survivors of gender-based violence,” it said.
“The working group recommends that Zimbabwe allocates sufficient resources to these bodies, ensures their full independence and equips them with authority to enforce their recommendations, in line with the Paris Principles Relating to the Status of Nations.”
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