I n s t i t u t e fo r j us t i ce a n d r eco n ci l iat i o n a fr i c a pr o g r a m m e to bringing about justice and peace. Unsurprisingly, tense situations often become even more complex when institutions brokering peace deals almost invariably fail to address women’s needs (such as vetting officials accused of perpetrating sexual violence against women) and to uphold the rights of women. In the interviews conducted as part of the research for this paper, women were asked to share their visions of a national healing system serving the needs of women in Zimbabwe. Respondents unanimously viewed the involvement of women who had been directly affected by political violence as basic to any truly restorative national healing agenda. Asked whether women were adequately represented in the GPA, responses affirmed the GPA’s own acknowledgement that women in Zimbabwe have not exercised their full rights as citizens, and that the new constitution should recognise the importance of women. Article 20 of the GPA acknowledges the need for gender parity and equal treatment for all, regardless of gender, sex, class, religion or tribe. An analysis of the GPA in the context of the political violence since 2009 reveals the ways in which the principal actors in the unity government have neglected their obligations in relation to preventing further violence. Granted that the GPA does not mention the term transitional justice, nor does it specify the processes to be followed in cases of gender-based violence. Acknowledging the value of the Domestic Violence Act (No. 14 of 2006), most respondents in this study felt that, in times of political violence, women continue to bear the brunt of the conflict no matter what may be stated in neatly written commitments and policy documents. Of great concern to women respondents was the reality that, more than three years after the signing of the GPA, much of what it contains remains mere rhetoric. Little progress has been made in terms of the agreed principles of denouncing violence and ending the use of hate speech. This problem is part of a broader lack of inclusion of women in decision-making. An analysis of the representation of women in government in Zimbabwe’s reveals a grim picture. The proportion of women in government falls far short of SADC’s 1997 Gender and Development Declaration, in which member states undertook to achieve 30 per cent representation of women in their governments by 2005. A report by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network based on the 2008 elections reveals that ZANU-PF appointed women to just 13 per cent of its ministerial posts and to 5 per cent of deputy-minister posts. The MDC appointed women to 33 per cent of its ministerial posts and 1 per cent to deputy-minister posts. Although the GPA calls for the appointment of women into strategic cabinet positions, very little has been achieved in this regard. Not surprisingly, therefore, many respondents called for greater female representation among those leading the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration and for political rhetoric to be matched with action. While the creation the Organ is understood to be a long-term process that aims to allow people to recover from their experiences by addressing the injustices created by the violence, one woman expressed a view held by many when she commented: How excellent would it be if more women who have been politically abused and exploited were the facilitators of national healing, reconciliation and justice within the organ, like Minister Sekai Holland. (Interview, 12 June 2011) Furthermore, discussions with NGO activists revealed that women who have joined the women’s wings of the various political parties lack any real power or agency and struggle to influence party decisions. The MDC’s Women’s Assembly and ZANU-PF’s Women’s League were said to operate mainly as support structures for the male-dominated party leadership, aiming to produce ‘good cultured female cadres’ instead of locating themselves as integral to the empowerment of women members or occupying spaces that would define them as 6 IJR Zimbabwe Womens needs OP proof 2.indd 6 7/16/2012 11:01:30 AM