30 Nov 2018
Manicaland Youth Association (MAYA) joins the rest of the world in commemorating the 2018 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence. It is disturbing that while we have been commemorating these days in the previous years, advocating for peace in the homes, violence increasing in the workplace. MAYA condemns all forms of violence perpetrated against women and girls by virtue of their gender. If there is no peace at the workplace there won’t be peace in the homes either. Women and girls deserve respect and protection form society.
MAYA will continue to lobby government to allow more tax cuts on items that relate to girls and women among them free duty of sanitary wear and the products that are used to produce sanitary pads. It is against this background that we stand together to help women and girls to access medication and other related items. We stand with others in condemning child marriages that are also being used to reduce the worth of girls when they are supposed to be in schools.
We are concerned when women are subjected to conditions that are inhuman and degrading in their places of work. Some women are subjected to sexual harassment in order to get a job and this has resulted in breakages of marriages and relationships. MAYA stands with these women in condemning such acts that reflect cowardice. Besides the 16 Days of Activism, MAYA still continues to lobby and advocate for stakeholders and duty bearers to put their policies into practice especially at the workplace. Stricter measures need to be put in place so that women are safe at the workplace and compete in the production cycle without being degraded at all levels. Men and women are equal partners and the nation should embrace equality.
