By Alois Vinga
THE preference to employ young men over their female counterparts by miners operating in Goromonzi has been singled out as one the factors fuelling Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the area.
The gory situation, which coincides with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which is a global movement for change held every year, from November 25 to December 10, reveals a dire situation calling for urgent change across the country’s mining communities.
Speaking to NewZimbabwe.com recently at an Economic Justice for Women’s Project (EJWP) organised event, Mary Nyadome traced the root causes of GBV to the economic exclusion endured by women.
Mary Nyadome
“I stay in Ward 17 and by just looking at assessing the nature of disputes being presided over at the traditional courts one can safely note that GBV is on the rise, dominating the quantum of cases brought for arbitration.
“Most couples are not able to co-exist peacefully and when one takes a closer look one can safely note that at the heart of these disputes in mining villages is the issue of unemployment.
“Mining companies in our localities are choosing to offer jobs to young men over their female counterparts leaving the latter with no choice except to opt for early marriages as a survival means,” she said.
Dome said this in the end leaves the female counterparts over dependent on their spouses for support with the overwhelming demands in the home brewing discontent arguments and subsequently GBV.
“These traditional leaders are also fuling GBV by failing to engage with the companies to encourage them to equally hire these young women and I believe there is a gap for engagement in that regard,” said Dome.
The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) reports that in the year 2023 alone, the unemployment rate for women in Zimbabwe was 8,8% of the female labor force. Unemployment is the percentage of the labor force that is without work but looking for employment.
In the first quarter of 2024, the employment to population ratio for females in rural areas was 22,1%.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) says women are exposed to the worst forms of precarious work and often endure more inequalities at work as compared to their female counterparts.