Informal traders urged to report sexual harassment

Fiona Mpofu

Women in the informal sector have been encouraged to report sexual harassment cases, to curb the recurance of these incidences. 

This was raised in a recently held Anti- Sexual Harassment campaign launch held by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in partnership with Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA) and Zimbabwe Young Feminist Movement (ZYFM). 

Deputy police spokesperson for Bulawayo Province, Inspector Nomalanga Msebele encouraged women in the informal sector to report sexual harassment cases. She also assured them that the police Victim Friendly office handles cases in confidentiality. 

“Sexual harassment is a menace in our communities and people are not coming up to report such cases because they trivialise such cases. If someone touches you in an improper manner, do not take it lightly. You have to report that as as an indecent act. It’s not right for a woman to be fondled or be touched in an improper manner. We also encourage the informal sector to have clear policies that deal with abuse,” said Inspector Msebele. 

David Mupiwa from the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associate (ZCIEA) highlighted that there is  need for informal traders to be educated on sexual harassment and ways of curbing it in the industry.

“They need to be taught so they know where to report and we need to have structures that deal with sexual harassment in our organisations,” said Mupiwa. 

An associate with Zimbabwe Young Feminist Movement (ZYFM) Sikhangele Moyo called for man to join in the fight to end sexual harassment as most perpetrators are male.  

“We challenge men to say men to be in a position to call each other out because they are the majority of perpetrators of sexual harassment so they should be able to hold each other accountable. They need to participate in these conversations,” said Moyo   

She added that the fight against GBV should go beyond the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.