News / National
2011 elections, recipe for disaster: Civic society
02 Jun 2011 at 20:53hrs | Views
Civic society leaders in Mutare say holding elections this year would be a recipe for disaster.
Organisations which include the Women's Coalition, Zimbabwe Peace Project and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) are in Mutare taking part in a conference on human rights running under the theme Protecting and Promoting Women's Rights during elections in Zimbabwe: Strategies for Peace Building and Documentation of Violations against Women.
ZLHR board member Trust Maanda said holding elections this year would be catastrophic.
Participants said women usually bore the brunt of violent elections as evidenced in the 2008 presidential election run-off.
Elections in Zimbabwe have been characterised by torture, rape and unnecessary loss of life, among other abuses perpetrated by political parties.
The conference called on law makers to ensure perpetrators of violence were not allowed to hold public office and that those victims of violence together with the perpetrators received psychological support.
Eminent human rights defenders attending the conference included Jestina Mukoko, who was abducted and brutally assaulted for months in the run-up to the 2008 plebiscite.
Organisations which include the Women's Coalition, Zimbabwe Peace Project and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) are in Mutare taking part in a conference on human rights running under the theme Protecting and Promoting Women's Rights during elections in Zimbabwe: Strategies for Peace Building and Documentation of Violations against Women.
ZLHR board member Trust Maanda said holding elections this year would be catastrophic.
Elections in Zimbabwe have been characterised by torture, rape and unnecessary loss of life, among other abuses perpetrated by political parties.
The conference called on law makers to ensure perpetrators of violence were not allowed to hold public office and that those victims of violence together with the perpetrators received psychological support.
Eminent human rights defenders attending the conference included Jestina Mukoko, who was abducted and brutally assaulted for months in the run-up to the 2008 plebiscite.
Source - Newsday
