WOZA - women of Zimbabwe Arise

I am continually amazed by the women and men of Zimbabwe, their tenacity in daring to stand up for their dignity as human beings. So I'm reposting here something just recieved from WOZA - Women of Zimbabwe Arise and from Kubatana. They are not church NGOs just people risking their lives for the good of their country. Many are still in prison.

You can find out more news from Zimbabwe on the WSCF's campaigning Zimbabwe blog.

You can also read this powerful post about what happened to one activist for truth and justice.

If Zimbabwe is ever in a state to truly rebuild then the women and men there will need our support.

ZIMBABWE’S CONSTITUTION MAKING PROCESS – A WOZA PERSPECTIVE

Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) has consulted with members over the last few weeks on
the constitutional reform process initiated by Article 6 of the Global Political
Agreement (GPA)1 and recognise the opportunity to play a role in making this
process result in a truly democratic Zimbabwe. WOZA has already been involved in
joint civic society discussions on these developments and will continue to take
part in a coordinated response. We are prepared to participate fully in the
process but do so under protest as we feel there are serious shortcomings in the
procedures articulated in the GPA.
- Ordinary Zimbabweans were not consulted
and did not input into the 15 September 2008 Global Political Agreement. It may
therefore prove inadequate as a tool of creating a truly people-driven
constitution.
- Constitutional Amendment 19 went further in providing
wide-ranging direction and oversight role to the Parliament of Zimbabwe, which
makes the constitutional process subject to political party control.
-
Whilst we acknowledge that the people voted for Members of Parliament and
Senators and recognise that they can be expected to represent the views of the
people in their constituency, constitution making should be an inclusive
process. It is a given that the whole nation needs to take ownership of their
right to determine how they are governed. At the very least, elected
representatives need to conduct public meetings to hear the views of the people
in their constituencies in open and direct discussion rather than making
unilateral decisions on our behalf.
- Most importantly however, we feel that
there is no real operating climate for full enjoyment by citizens of all their
freedoms of expression and assembly. There continues to be flagrant disregard
for the rule of law, politically motivated and indiscriminate arrests and
detentions and a climate of fear remains. Citizens need a tangible sign that
they will be able to meet and debate without harassment before a truly
meaningful process can be embarked upon.