6 In Their Capacity as Human Rights Defenders: Women § The culture of impunity for human rights violations persists due to the selective prosecution of (and sometime the complete failure to prosecute) perpetrators of human rights violations. State actors who refuse to act against those perpetrating violence against women also fuel this impunity. In cases which seem to be domestic in nature, the typical patriarchal police officer who remains untrained in terms of gender and special needs or action, will refuse to open a docket and investigate a complaint, rather telling the woman HRD to resolve the issue on her own. § Entrenched patriarchal values also negatively impact on women office-bearers in state institutions. Some have adopted negative stereotypes and attitudes against women HRDs, leading to violations against their sisters. Female police officers have been identified at times as being in the forefront of attacking female members of the legal profession, a good example being the attack on the female President of the Law Society in 2007. Of particular concern is the lack of timeliness and political will to embrace key recommendations made during the Universal Periodic Review of Zimbabwe by the UN Human Rights Council, aimed at taking measures to prevent enforced disappearances and ensure accountability for past human rights violations. Such measures would go a long way in challenging impunity and reducing civil and political rights violations. Specifics of the situation of women HRDs include: § They face possibilities of being victims of violence perpetrated in the private sphere that then limits their capacity to carry out their activities in the public sphere. Women HRDs are susceptible to violations of their bodily integrity by state and non-state actors, which then leads to prejudice, exclusion from society, and negation by their male counterparts. Further, the possibilities of violations against spouses, partners and family members of female defenders impede their capacity to fully advocate for their human rights. When arrested and detained, women HRDs sometimes do not get the necessary welfare assistance. Due to societal stereotypes, women who involve themselves in activities that challenge the political environment and executive excesses are perceived as challenging accepted socio-cultural norms, traditions, perceptions and stereotypes about femininity and the role and status of women in society and are then punished for this. Although the Government of Zimbabwe adopted a National Gender Policy, perceptions on equal status of men and women and the ability of men and women to participate in activities to protect rights have not yet been accepted by Zimbabwean society. § Violations faced by women HRDs in Zimbabwe also take a gender specific form, ranging from verbal abuse based on their sex, to sexual abuse and rape. In cases where sexual violence occurs, due to fear of stigmatisation and rejection by male counterparts, women HRDs do not usually report such cases leading to further victimisation and impunity. Even where women HRDs are not victims of sexual violence they can be stigmatised and banished by community leaders, families and communities who consider them to be carrying out activities that do not conform with the cultural roles of women. § Unlike their male counterparts, women also act as caregivers and are responsible for the welfare of the family and children. This may make it impossible for them to advocate for the defence of their rights, as they tend to concentrate on bread and butter issues.