Reports

Zimbabwe’s history of Organised Violence and Torture: 1982-1987

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY STATEMENT 2022 “Increasing Women Leadership to mitigate Climate Crisis”

The call by women is to undo the structural fundamentals in the policy framework that inhibit full realisation of women’s potential. What needs to be removed immediately are norms, values, policies and cultures which are the brick and mortar for a patriarchal order which sustains women’s oppression.

Mutual Toleration and Institutional Forbearance: The Deep Structure of Democracy

As we move into elections, the nature of the engagement between the main political parties becomes extremely important. Elections are contests between opponents and not a war. The proliferation of hate speech is thus a very strong indicator of attitudes in political parties: calling opponents lice to be crushed is scarcely in keeping with a respectful contest.
Important aspects of “deep democracy” include respect for opposing political parties, termed “mutual toleration”, and supported by “institutional forbearance”. These provide the structure within which the rule of law, constitutionalism, and respect for human rights can flourish.
This short article discusses the need for “mutual toleration” and “institutional forbearance” in Zimbabwe today.”

Helping the victims and survivors of Organised Violence and Torture in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, as a result of the many periods in which Organised Violence and Torture (OVT) has occurred, has the consequence of tens of thousands of victims and survivors. This report outlines the problems that victims and survivors in Zimbabwe are experiencing, especially the mental health problems that are the most persistent sequelae of OVT. The report looks at the legacy from the Liberation War until the present and indicates some of the ways in which civil society organisations are providing assistance.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Statement: “Orange the world: End violence against women now!” Is “Incivility” Violence Against Women?

This statement notes that the major problem is the invisibility of VAW, with so much taking place behind the
closed doors of homes, and too frequently underplayed by the blindness of patriarchal societies. It answers the question: Is “Incivility” Violence Against Women?

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence: “Orange the world: End violence against women now!” Is “Incivility” Violence Against Women?

This report argues that “incivility” is on the rise, even though studies on the topic are few especially in Africa. It unpacks how “incivility”, “bullying” and “selective incivility” contribute to VAW.

The Gender Lens’ Women’s Leadership During Crisis

Violence against women and the marginalization of women’s participation in decision making is on the rise in
Zimbabwe and globally. This problem manifests itself in terrifying varieties throughout the world. Women and
girls experience verbal, sexual, physical and psychosocial, and other forms of violations in the fabric of their
everyday lives in societies around the world. They are excluded from the decision making spheres. Marginalisation, violence, and exclusion are affecting their efficacy in economic, social, and political spheres, leading to
their underrepresentation. As a new gender journal, one of the goals of Gender Lens is to unravel that thread by
shedding light, not only on forms of violence that are already widely discussed, but also on lesser-known forms
of violence, such as sexism, female enslavement in tourism, political violence, and rape as a weapon against
female participation.

HUMAN RIGHTS, ORGANISED VIOLENCE AND TORTURE, AND FORCIBLE DISPLACEMENTS IN ZIMBABWE: THE PAST AND THE PRESENT.

This report explores the history of displacements in Zimbabwe, and chronicles how Organised Violence and Torture (OVT) is often associated with the various episodes of displacements described. It demonstrates how difficult it is to force people to move voluntarily and the need therefore to use forcibly displace people. This force attains the status of gross human rights violations, sometimes meeting the threshold of a crime against humanity as in the case of Operation Mrambatsvina.