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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000532 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR S. HILL 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR L.DOBBINS AND E.LOKEN 
TREASURY FOR J. RALYEA AND T.RAND 
COMMERCE FOR BECKY ERKUL 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS 
EB/EX GALE GRAY, DENNIS WINSTEAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PHUM PGOV ZI
SUBJECT: GEARING UP TO IMPLEMENT NEW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT 
 
 
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Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  After years of debate and controversy, Parliament 
in February passed the Domestic Violence Act which 
criminalizes domestic violence and protects victims of 
domestic abuse.  While President Mugabe has yet to set the 
date for the Act to become law, the Ministry of Women's 
Affairs and local women's groups have begun to map out its 
implementation.  The Act is viewed as a milestone by women's 
organizations.  Nevertheless, they acknowledge that Zimbabwe 
still has a long way to go toward achieving gender equality. 
End Summary. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Domestic Violence Act Finally Reality 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) In 2005, the Ministry of Women's Affairs formed a 
Legal Experts Committee to draft a Domestic Violence Act to 
help prevent domestic violence and protect victims of 
domestic abuse.  Last year the draft bill was presented to 
the Cabinet's all-male Committee on Legislation.  Zimbabwe 
Women's Lawyers Association (ZWLA) Director Emilia Muchawa 
described to pol assistant the challenge of presenting the 
bill to the Committee and how it had impressed upon her the 
need to have female lawyers in the GOZ Cabinet and in the 
lower house in Parliament.  She said one Minister on the 
Committee, for example, had warned his colleagues that "if we 
are not careful, all men will be arrested."  Nonetheless, the 
Cabinet approved the bill and sent it to Parliament, where it 
met resistance, in particular, from traditional Chiefs and 
some opposition MPs. MDC MP Timothy Mubhawu made headlines 
when he decried the Act as "against God's will."  Women's 
groups responded in protest and the bill eventually passed 
Parliament and was signed by President Mugabe.  He has not 
yet set a date for the Act to become law. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Women's Ministry, Gender Groups Eager To Kick Off 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Having lobbied hard for passage of the Act, the 
Ministry of Women's Affairs and several gender-rights NGOs 
have continued close consultations to ensure the Act is fully 
implemented.  They recognize that previous social 
legislation, such as the Sexual Offences Act, failed to 
affect behavior due to inadequate planning and training ) an 
outcome they are determined to prevent in this instance. 
Most recently, the gender-based groups gathered in May at a 
coordination meeting organized by the Ministry and the United 
Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA).  The meeting 
included representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the 
Attorney General's Office, the Chief's Council, the police, 
victim-friendly courts, and civil society.  Muchawa told pol 
assistant that the Ministry of Justice was finalizing 
enabling regulations and that the Ministry of Women's Affairs 
recognized the need to task different gender groups with 
implementing various parts of the legislation.  For instance, 
ZWLA was tasked to train magistrates, clerks of court, 
 
HARARE 00000532  002 OF 002 
 
 
Chiefs, and the police to understand domestic violence 
better.  Other NGOs had conducted studies to determine the 
extent of the problem in Zimbabwe. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Minister of Women's Affairs Oppah Muchinguri has 
assumed the driver's seat in implementation of the Act and, 
so far, is working well with civil society.  Zimbabwe Women's 
Resource Centre Director Dorothy Adebanjo told us that 
Muchinguri recognized that the process would not work without 
civil society's engagement.  The women,s groups, however, 
still faced challenges, including inadequate resources.  The 
Ministry of Women's Affairs currently receives a paltry 0.5 
percent of the national budget despite calls to allocate more 
resources to gender and equality issues.  Through her own 
initiative, Muchinguri has set up "gender units" in every 
Ministry and women's groups have welcomed her role in 
advancing women's rights. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The passage and implementation of the Domestic 
Violence Act is a long overdue and important step for efforts 
to curb domestic violence.  Nonetheless, domestic abuse is 
deeply rooted in Zimbabwe.  Its eradication will ultimately 
require a cultural shift and the benefit of economic 
recovery.  The Act's passage shows that Zimbabwe's women's 
movement continues to gain political clout, especially those 
segments that have aligned themselves with Muchinguri.  She 
has emerged as a key player and, some say, vice-presidential 
contender within ZANU-PF.  Her close connection with the 
ruling party, however, has alienated some gender groups that 
do not want to become tainted by the Mugabe regime. 
Meanwhile, the MDC continues to be caught flat footed ) or 
even wrong-footed ) when it comes to gender issues, 
partially explaining why ZANU-PF has traditionally been 
assured the women's vote. 
DELL