Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Special Report
Gender and Constitutional Issues
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 2
Chapter 1. Historical background: Women’s Rights in Zimbabwe ................................ 4
Women in the Liberation Struggle .............................................................. 4
Gender Policy............................................................................................. 5
Chapter 2. The Current Constitutional Position ............................................................. 7
Sex and gender .......................................................................................... 7
Constitutional protection against sex and/or gender discrimination ............. 8
The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW) ......................................................................... 9
Chapter 3. The 1999 Proposed Constitutional Changes ............................................ 10
Chapter 4. Gender Discrimination .............................................................................. 13
Marriage and gender discrimination ......................................................... 13
Social class and gender discrimination ..................................................... 14
Domestic violence .................................................................................... 15
Gender discrimination in employment....................................................... 16
Gender discrimination in politics ............................................................... 17
Chapter 5. The Women’s Charter .............................................................................. 19
Chapter 6. Future Possibilities ................................................................................... 25
References ................................................................................................................ 27
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