Press Release - Residents to Commemorate International Women's Day

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)

PRESS RELEASE

Date:               6 March 2012

Contact:         Rodrick Fayayo

                        Coordinator

                        Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)

BPRA Commemorates International Women’s Day

-          Five service providers to be petitioned for gender insensitive service provision

-          Prayer meeting to be held at the Amphitheatre

Bulawayo residents will on Thursday 8 March 2012 petition the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), the Bulawayo City Council (BCC), the Registrar’s Office, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP)  in protest against gender insensitive service provision as part of International Women’s Day commemorations. The petitions, containing hundreds of signatures from concerned residents from across Bulawayo have been prepared and are ready to be handed over to the service providers on the day.

Activities for the day, which are being organised by Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) in association with the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT), Musasa Project, Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA) and Christian Legal Society  will include handing over of the petitions to the service providers and a prayer meeting to be held at the Bulawayo Amphitheatre from 11am to 12pm.

More than 1000 women and men are expected to participate in the commemorations. Prayers will be held to pray  for peace, employment, a vibrant economy, good harvests and emancipation of women from discrimination. Also expected to be present at the commemorations are councillors, Members of Parliament, senators and church leaders.

The commemorations are aimed at bringing to the fore the fact that poor service delivery by BCC, ZRP, ZESA, the Registry’s Office and ZBC has a greater impact on women than their male counterparts. Women suffer more from power cuts and water cuts as they are responsible for fetching firewood and water, and are culturally responsible for cooking, cleaning and bathing children. They also bear the brunt of corruption by the police, as they are often the victims of rape and domestic violence, whose perpetrators use bribes to avoid prosecution. It is also women as the caretakers of children who experience most of the poor services at the Registrar’s office where obtaining birth certificates is a whole day’s ordeal and sometimes requires bribing of officials. In the same manner, ZBC continues to fail to address gender issues in its programming despite its insistence on exorbitant licence fees.

The handing over of the petitions will hence be part of advocacy to get service providers to improve provision of public services and to be gender sensitive in their operations, and to encourage women to get involved in governance issues and policy processes in the city in order for them to be able to take charge of their destinies. 

Signed

Mr Rodrick Fayayo

Coordinator