Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
04HARARE1535 | 2004-09-13 11:56:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Harare |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. 131156Z Sep 04 |
UNCLAS HARARE 001535 |
1. Description of Activity: From August 26-September 2, 2004, Dr. Linda Greene, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin- Madison interacted with a variety of stakeholders regarding Sexual Harassment Laws and Policies in Zimbabwe. In addition to delivering the keynote address at Zimbabwe's first ever National Conference on Sexual Harassment, sponsored by a grant from PAS, Dr. Greene traveled throughout Zimbabwe addressing audiences about various aspects of sexual harassment policies and laws. 2. Date: August 25-September 2, 2004 3. MPP Themes and Audience: Theme: Democracy and Human Rights Audience: Through this event, PAS Harare reached diverse audiences ranging from local deans of students, proctors, wardens, professors, student leaders from the country's major institutions of higher learning, lawyers from the law society, justices from the Labor and Supreme Courts of Zimbabwe, representatives from the local NGO community and a member of parliament. 4. Justification and Objectives: In order to support civil society, strengthen the economy, and reduce the brain drain, the full participation of all Zimbabweans in the life of the community, including women, is essential. Many Zimbabweans do not have a clear understanding of the legal definition of sexual harassment or approaches to addressing the problem. Increasing awareness of sexual harassment is essential to developing and implementing effective sexual harassment policies. During both the weekend sexual harassment conference and the follow up programs, it was very clear that most of the local universities did not have specific sexual harassment policies in place for both students and staff members. In some instances, institutions used codes of conduct from the country's sexual offences and the labor acts, which were ambiguous and obscure in their definitions of sexual harassment. In most cases students were apparently not forthcoming regarding reporting sexual harassment for fear of victimization. Nonetheless, sexual harassment problems involving lecturers and students were said to be prevalent in some universities, yet universities lacked support systems for sexual harassment. 5. Results/Impact: Dr. Greene met with a total of 150 selected participants, including the leaders of 7 universities, members of parliament, labor and supreme court justices, NGO's, and other major stakeholders. Two of Zimbabwe's major universities drafted Sexual Harassment policies as a result of Dr. Greene's visit. Several other universities pledged to make existing policies more transparent and accessible to students. The event provided an opportunity to further the MPP goal of Democracy and Human Rights by encouraging the full participation of women in civil society. 6. Quality of USG Support: Excellent. We commend, once again, the excellent support from IIP's Eboni York and Inga McMichael. DELL |