Human Rights of Women
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, a Zimbabwean human rights activist who grew up in Murewa, is the General Secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association and is the recent recipient of the Women’s Human Rights Defenders Award. She spoke to Grace Chirumanzu from her base in Geneva, Switzerland.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda: I feel humbled by the recognition, especially knowing that the achievements we are celebrating come from the trust, support and mentorship of many other individuals in my village, my community and my country.
As General Secretary of the World YWCA, a global movement with 157 years of history, present in 125 countries and reaching 25 million women and girls, this award is especially significant for me. It celebrates some of the seemingly invisible actions that we do each day, as we serve communities.
G.C: What motivates you to stand up for women and children?
N.G: I am motivated by the knowledge that as individual citizens we have the power to stand up and shape a new narrative of human rights, human security and human dignity. When I go to my home village in Murewa, or spend time in Takawira village in Madziva where I was married, I am always told: "Do not forget us, and tell those who are up there that we are here and want our children to go to school and our clinics to have medicine!"
These are the words that push me every day.
I grew up during the war, I experienced the brutality of war and violence; my work
and life in the last 20 years have been in countries in crisis, in conflict and in wars. I
am passionate about peace, justice and human rights.
G.C: What is your advice to an ‘ordinary’ Zimbabwean woman about how they can contribute to female empowerment?
N.G: First, it is important that every woman knows she is a citizen, with full rights like any other person. Women must use their knowledge and skills to contribute to national, regional and global development.
Women have the power, the voice and the position to influence decisions that affect
their lives. They must have the courage to engage with national
civic and political processes. Women and girls should be affirmed that the bread and butter issues they struggle with every day, like sending children to school, and access medical services are human rights issues.
Empowerment for women and girls means having the capacity, the resources, the opportunity and the voice to claim one's human rights.
G.C: What would you consider the most necessary changes to women's rights issues in Zimbabwe?
N.G: There are a number of legal and policy related changes that are a priority at the moment, such as the inclusion of women's human rights in the new constitution.
Zimbabwe has ratified CEDAW, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights in Africa; the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. We must take the opportunity to consolidate such commitment in the constitution.
Secondly, it’s about women in decision making at all levels. We have seen a robust mobilization in the country around the MDG target on gender equality in decision making and the 50/50 campaign.
However, such involvement should not be confined to parliament and national positions. It should start in the village and encompass all critical institutions such as security, foreign policy and economic development.
Women and girls need access to education and skills as basic empowerment tools for economic self-sufficiency, prevention of HIV and violence against women, and capacity to engage in the civic and political spaces at all levels.
If women in communities have economic empowerment and legal/human rights awareness it supports the building of families and strong communities.
The commitment to gender equality in the GPA must be given weight, enabling the participation of women and young women in the transition processes.
G.C: Looking at your work and the demands of your job, some may say you live to fight for other women’s dreams to come true. But what are your dreams?
N.G: I will always be involved in advancing the rights of women and children. It is about who I am; since this is neither a job nor a pastime. I am passionate about inter- generational leadership and the power of influence of ordinary citizens to shape their destiny.
I feel strongly that women and girls in Zimbabwe and elsewhere must have the possibility to shape and influence regional and global policies and politics; and the world through its international institutions must equally be accountable to communities.
I wish to see more women in the legal profession in Zimbabwe.
I dream of Rozaria Memorial Trust being a global institution that serves communities and shapes policies across the globe, as we continue to celebrate the unsung heroines in our communities. I look forward to that moment, when our collective soul as a nation will dance in the wind, in the knowledge that we care and respect each other today and forever.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda: believes that a strong public
voice that will not tolerate the abuse of women is vital.