This year’s International Women’s Day theme Accelerate Action should spur Zimbabwe to domesticate and actively implement the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Resolution 522 on protecting Women Against Digital Violence in Africa.
The theme emphasises the importance of taking swift and decisive action to achieve gender equality. It calls for greater momentum and urgency in tackling the systemic barriers and biases that women encounter in both personal and professional spheres.
Resolution 522 highlights and laments that, digital violence is increasingly gendered and disproportionately affects women, through inter alia threats of sexual violence, misogynistic disinformation campaigns and revenge pornography…
The resolution urges states to implement measures that protect women journalists from digital violence, including gender-sensitive media literacy and digital security training.
In this regard, the International Women’s Day, which will be commemorated on 8 March 2025, is a vital platform for galvanising global advocacy and driving tangible change.
This year’s theme directly confronts the persistent and pervasive systemic barriers and biases that continue to impede progress. This demands swift, decisive, and transformative actions across all facets of life — personal, professional, and societal.
MISA Zimbabwe, therefore, urges individuals, organisations, and governments to come together in a collective effort to significantly accelerate progress towards gender equality. The theme, highlighting inclusivity, accountability, and effective solutions, paves the way for essential global discussions and local initiatives that will promote equality more swiftly and efficiently.
Considering the decades of slow progress and the setbacks encountered, especially following the Covid-19 pandemic, our enhanced efforts must concentrate on the following key areas:
• economic empowerment
• ensuring women’s leadership and political representation
• eradicating gender-based violence
• advancing education and skills development
• promoting holistic access to health
As individuals, we are all agents of change. We can actively challenge stereotypes, dismantle discriminatory practices, question unconscious biases, and amplify women’s successes.
Sharing knowledge, providing unwavering encouragement, and fostering mentorship networks are critical in that regard.
To ensure a lasting impact, MISA Zimbabwe makes the following recommendations:
• Implement and Enforce Gender-Responsive Policies: Governments and organisations must adopt and enforce policies that prioritise gender equality, creating safe and equitable workplaces and public spaces.
• Invest in Women-Led Initiatives and Grassroots Movements: Fund women-led organisations and grassroots movements that are driving change at the community level, recognising their crucial role in advancing gender equality.
• Design and Implement Sustainable Support Programmes: Develop comprehensive programmes that provide long-term support for women’s advancement, including access to education, training, mentorship, and financial resources.
• Promote Digital Inclusion and Safety: Address the digital gender divide by ensuring women’s equal access to technology and creating safe online spaces hence the need to adopt the ACHPR’s Resolution 522.
• Strengthen Data Collection and Analysis: Improve the collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated data to inform policy decisions and track progress towards gender equality.
• Engage Men and Boys as Allies: Actively engage men and boys in promoting gender equality, challenging harmful masculinities, and fostering a culture of respect and equality.
Let us seize this moment to Accelerate Action and build a future where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a lived reality for all.
MISA Zimbabwe Statement on International Women’s Day
Passmore Kuzipa
Chairperson MISA Zimbabwe
