Women ‘Sexploited’ For Land In Zim
Lazarus Sauti
The issue of land has dominated discourses, as well as
practices of development in Zimbabwe and other African countries.
The
primary goal of land reform in Zimbabwe, for instance, has been and is still to
redistribute land to black people without discrimination on the basis of
gender, race and class.
However,
women are still mistreated when it comes to access to land for residential,
commercial and/or agricultural use.
In
fact, they are vulnerable to abuse and sexual extortion.
Gamuchirai
Chido Chiwere (36) from Chikomba District in Mashonaland East Province said she
was forced by community leaders in her area to trade her precious body for a
piece of land.
“Community
leaders in my district demanded sex in exchange of a piece of land,” she told
263Chat.com.
What
a shame?
Governance
analyst, Farai Mutondoro, concurs that women in rural, urban and peri-urban
areas in Zimbabwe are ‘sexploited’ for land by local authorities and land
officers.
The
Huairou Commission, a global coalition of grassroots women’s organisations,
also affirmed that women in most, if not all, countries still face multiple
sexual demands from police and local officials who control access to land.
“Marital
status (in particular, if a woman is single, widowed or divorced) and other
aspects of a woman’s identity that might entail discrimination exacerbate their
vulnerability,” noted the commission.
Another
recent study by Transparency International, a global civil society organisation
leading the fight against corruption, also confirmed that the risk of sexual
extortion in Zimbabwe is particularly high among single women and widows, who
may be asked to trade sex against access to a small plot of land.
Senior
international consultant with a background in international law and political
studies, Michaela Raab, says sexual extortion for land is a form of corruption,
which not only intensifies gender inequalities, but weakens women’s livelihoods
and social standing and, ultimately, maintains poverty.
“Corruption
in the land sector can take many forms such as traditions stopping women from
inheriting land, bribery and sexual extortion by community leaders and land
officials,” she said, adding that women experience and perceive corruption
differently from men and are more vulnerable to sexual extortion due to their
political, economic and social roles.
Raab,
who also contributed to the Transparency International Women, Land and
Corruption programme as an advisor and facilitator, said sexual extortion is
different from corruption involving cash bribes and material gifts, in that it
can have severe physical and mental health consequences, with survivors facing
social exclusion.
“In
sexual extortion, the currency of corruption is sexual harassment, rape and
demands for sexual favours. This currency can cause irreversible psychological,
as well as health consequences for individuals,” she said.
“As
a form of gender-based violence (GBV),” adds gender equality campaigner, Hildah
Matambo, “sexual extortion helps reinforce social norms that justify the
violation of women’s human rights, especially if abusers remain unpunished.”
Matambo
also said that stigmatisation surrounding sexual extortion means such form of
corruption is unlikely to be reported.
To
fight this ‘cancer’ that is inhibiting gender equality and sustainable
socio-economic progress in Zimbabwe, Mutondoro, who is currently working for
the Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) as a senior researcher and
programmes coordinator, said his organisation is pushing a triangulated
approach which involves working with members of the Fourth Estate.
“As
TIZ, we are working with journalists,” he said. “We are involving them to gather,
write and expose gender dynamics on land corruption.”
Mutondoro
also said TIZ is engaging independent commissions such as the Zimbabwe Gender
Commission, the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission, as well as the Zimbabwe
Human Rights Commission on sensitizing them on land corruption.
Gender
expert, Daphne Jena, believes that resolving the problem should involve
creating codes of conduct for the public sector, in addition to redefining
“corruption” within existing anti-corruption efforts.
“This
move will definitely bring the issue to the vanguard of dialogues and lessen
the taboo around sexual extortion therefore enabling concrete efforts to come
to fruition,” she said.
Jena
added that women’s ownership to land should not be tied to their male relatives
like husbands, fathers and brothers.
“A
woman should be able to go to authorities and apply for land ownership without
having to explain what her family owns. This means policy makers should simply
revise the terms for land purchases to accommodate women with low incomes and
those who are not even employed,” she said.
Development
practitioner, Fortune Sakupwanya, says while awareness of land corruption as a
observable fact has increased over recent years in the country, comprehending
and recognition of how women are affected differently from men has been
lacking.
He,
therefore, urged the government and its development partners to recognise land
corruption, particularly sexual extortion as a serious threat to women
empowerment and livelihoods.
“Citizens
should also report land corruption, resist paying bribes, as well as demand
accountability from political and traditional leaders in land affairs,” he
advised.
True dat Cde.
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