FSN denounces female students’ abuse

Female Student Network (FSN) has learnt with utter shock the rape of a student at a Vocational Training Centre in the Midlands province.

The 19 year old student was intoxicated and allegedly gang raped by fellow students at the Vocational Training on Sunday.

According to police reports it is alleged that three male students drugged her and them took turns to rape her until she fell unconscious.

She was later found on the soccer pitch naked and unconscious by college authorities and rushed to Gweru provincial hospital.

The Network condemns such inhumane acts against female students.  As an organisation which advocates for females rights it was really devastating news that this lady was robbed of her sexuality hence her right.

The Network also wishes to warn female students to be careful of taking spiked drinks as cases of such are on the increase.

 

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Empower one woman, empower the whole nation
by Thando Gwinji (Solusi University)

Female Students Network can be seen from afar as just an organization doing a few programs to empower female students in tertiary institutions but from deep within they are doing more than that, they are actually reaching out to the whole world. This is a testimony from a female student by the name of Thando Gwinji from Solusi University in Bulawayo.

I first encountered FSN in 2011 when I was a 2^nd year student doing Peace in Conflict Studies and at that time I was the president of the Peace Club and I attended FSN workshops so that I can further my leadership skills. Well I got more than that, through constantly attending these workshops I got exposure to a wider range of skills, I developed self-confidence, self-awareness and open-mindedness. Above all I got a platform to express myself and my passion in life through constantly interacting with the organization. Through the FSN blog I advanced my writing skills and created awareness on issues affecting me and other female students around Bulawayo. Opportunities then started to build up because my voice was being heard and because of the training that I had received I was bold enough to take them on. In a word or two I can say that I was empowered to be a bigger person than I was before.

 

The Pull Her Down (PHD) syndrome is a very common phenomenon amongst ladies who want to escalate to high positions, FSN however modelled the Push Her Up (PHU) very well. Being just a female student I got the chance to go and represent not just FSN but Zimbabwe and Africa at large at the Study of the United States Institute for Civic engagement (SUSI) through FSN. In this 2014 SUSI program, there were 20 participants representing the SADC region. Of the 5 weeks that I spent in America, 3 weeks were at the University of Nebraska where I was studying leadership, democracy, civic engagement, and human rights with top-notch professors and at the end of the training I was awarded with a certificate of recognition for outstanding academic achievement and leadership skills. Even before the completion of the course I was living the American dream, and so many doors seem to be opening up.

 

 

However, it is not what I achieved that is of essence, it is what I am going to do with what I achieved that matters. The least that I can do is give back to the society, though I don’t have much to give, I believe that the little the effort that I give goes a long way, I will begin by sharing the little knowledge that I have accumulated. I have grown to believe that information dissemination is the first step towards empowerment and anyone can do it. For every young lady out there know that you are also an agent of social change and powerful beyond measure. In my stay in America, I wasn’t only gaining knowledge but I was teaching Americans about Africa as well and I came to appreciate where I come from more. Looking at Africa from a different angle, I could see that we have a lot of potential but we also have a lack of will power and that will power begins with young people who strive to make a difference. Female Students Network is making a difference but it is up to us young ladies to embrace those efforts and be agents of social change.

 

 

It’s time to stand up for our rights

By  Yunah Bvumbe (Harare Polytechnic College)

Women have often been deluged with suggestions about ways to become more powerful in relation to men; however the differences in men’s and women’s access to use of power continually subvert the whole essence of gender equality.

Many of us seek friendship or colleagueship with members of the other sex often to find out that the equality supposed in these relationship is constantly challenged by learned sex role patterns of dominance and submission.

It is from this background that as a nation, we cannot continue to articulate about gender equality when men continue to dominate in society at our own peril.

Zimbabwe having been championed for being part of those nations that endorsed the SADC  Protocol on Gender and Development in 2008 which requires that ‘’states parties shall endeavour that by 2015, at least 50 percent of decision –making positions in the public and private sectors are held by women’’. The participation of women has not been very impressive and it raises alarm on whether Zimbabwe will be able to ensure 50-50 representation of men and women in politics.

In politics and economics when most people think  of a president ,prime minister ,chairman of the board ,they think of a man despite the fact that women can and do hold these positions.

And in the realm of expertise, female journalists, doctors lawyers are still trusted less than their male counterparts by many people and are not even acknowledged to exist by many others .

Perhaps only in the realm of power based on attractiveness, charisma and personal magnetism do women power images compete with male ones.

Besides the act that females are more intelligent than their male counterparts, their power is being misconstrued as men perceive women need affection and safety and nothing else.

Therefore the predicament of ambitious women is that they end up being lonely and bitter as the feeling of abandonment for their brave stance gains momentum.

In this male dominated society, women’s only effective source of influence is beauty and sex appeal as they are being used in advertising products naked to speed up sales.

But then one wonders, is this why women have been heralding for their emancipation only to be used as sexual objects?

This is the time to change our mindset and not betray those who have fought for us to be emancipated.

 

 

 

Let our voices be heard: International Human Rights Day-FSN joins the rest of the world in commemorating International Day of Human Rights 2013.

Female Students Network joins the rest of the world in celebrating the International Human Rights Day. Human Rights Day promotes awareness of human rights issues around the world and it helps to buttress the point that everybody has the right to have their voice heard and to have a role in making the decisions that shape their lives and their communities.

FSN will continue to educate and share with female students about their rights, which include the right to participate fully in the important decisions and policies affecting their lives. That means not only the democratic processes, but also the key economic decisions that can have such a huge impact on individuals, families, and even entire groups and nations.

For female students, the right to accommodation is very important because some of the end up engaging in immoral activities just to get money for proper and decent accommodation. The Network therefore urges the government to bring back grant so that students can be able to fend for themselves just like they did when the government was still offering the grants.

This will not only benefit the students but the nation as a whole because what good will it bring to have an HIV infested youth  who get involved in sexual relationships for food and accommodation, something that can  be prevented by the return of students grants. By this the Network is not condoning the immoral behaviour by female students but is trying to find a solution to the problem.

Female students also have a right health but the unhygienic ways in which they dispose sanitary ware in most tertiary institutions leaves a lot to be desires. There is need therefore for the relevant Ministries such as the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development as well as the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science Technology Development to put measures of hygienic sanitary disposal such as incinerators and disinfectant soaps in toilets.

There is also need to intensify efforts of protecting female students from sexual harassment because most of them are not aware of the Sexual Harassment Policy and the few that know about it are ignorant of its contents.

On this day, the Network would also like to take the opportunity to salutes all those who have suffered so much seeking what is rightfully theirs.

The voices of too many women and girls, in particular, continue to be stifled through discrimination, threats and violence and this is holding back progress for women and for all members of society.

FSN believes that women’s participation is fundamental for sustainable development, peace and democracy and as we commemorate the international human rights day, we should remove the barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the economy, in politics and in all aspects of public life.

 

It’s time to act to stop Gender Based Violence

Female students Network joins the rest of the world in commemorating 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence. The 16 days, starting form 25 November to 10 December is way of raising awareness of the scourge that has taken many live throughout the years.

It is also a time to make duty bearers, especially the police to take seriously issues of gender based violence. Of late, female students have complained that they are not being taken seriously when they report cases of abuse to the police.

It is very important to note that Gender Based Violence does not only affect couples in a marriage setting but those who are not yet married too. For female students, a lecturer asking for sexual favours for a pass constitutes gender abused violence.

Gender based violence is still a challenge in the country and has impacted negatively on our society, with consequence such as injuries, unintended pregnancies and HIV/AIDS.

According to reports by Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey(ZDHS) 1 in 4 women had experienced sexual violence and in 9 out of 10 of the cases the perpetrator is the woman’s current or former husband, partner or boyfriend; and 1 in 3 women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence since the age 15.

Gender based violence had impacted negatively on the Zimbabwean society, with consequences such as injuries, unintended pregnancies and HIV/AIDS.

As FSN, we encourage everyone to continue working together to raise awareness that violence against women and girls is unacceptable. Gender based violence is a human rights violation that calls for an integrated and multi-sectorial approach if we are to achieve meaningful results

There is need for more campaigns that involve men as they are also victims of gender based violence in some cases and largely the perpetrators of GBV.

Zimbabwe is to be commended for setting the policy framework for gender based violence prevention and response which includes the Domestic Violence Act although there is still need to deal decisively with this vicious cycle of violence, as it is destroying families and causing untold suffering to the victims. The human rights abuses against women not only inflict great harm and suffering on individuals but they affect the entire society.

FSN therefore encourages everyone; regardless of gender to work together to stop gender based violence as it has caused untold suffering in the Zimbabwean community. The Network also encourages everyone to condemn gender based violence and take action against it not only during the 16 days but the whole year because gender based violence affects women, men and children on a daily basis.

Of religion and female leadership

The first question that comes to most peoples’ minds when someone speaks about equality is what does the Bible says about it?

Female Students Network has found out that many female students shun leadership because they say the Bible disapproves of women leaders. They say in the Bible, most of the leaders where men, hence being a female leader is going against the Book of Life.

Some female students even refuse to support their fellow females on the basis of religion.

 They sat the Bible says men are the heads and they interpret this to say men should be the leaders and women should follow. Since men are the heads, they carry the brains which think for the whole body, so they say.

But what exactly does the Bible say about women and leadership? Where does it precisely place women? The Bible says God created the woman as a "helper" for the man:

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (NIV, Genesis 2:18)

However, being a "helper" does not imply that the woman was inferior or subservient to the man. In fact, God created both men and women in His own image and made them equal custodians of all his creation.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Genesis 2:27-28)

 

Compared to other cultures of the time, Jewish women enjoyed great liberty and esteem, and many women distinguished themselves as prophetesses and leaders in Jewish society. Women such as Deborah, Esther, Hannah, Miriam, Rachel, Rebekah, Ruth and Sarah played important and decisive roles in Israel's history.

 

Women in the Bible occasionally held strong positions. Esther, for example was put in a position where her influence could help Israel.

 

Women often held influential positions in the Bible. Deborah was a great prophetess who was also a leader in Israel (Judges 4: 1- 5:31).

                                                          

Modern times have seen several outstanding female national leaders, including Israel’s Golda Meir, who successfully ruled Israel from 1969 to 1974. Since we know that God ordains all leadership—“For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1).

 

Generally speaking, God designed men for positions of leadership but apart from leadership in the church and family, which is given to men alone, the Bible doesn’t expressly forbid women to participate in other positions of leadership.

As evidence of the equality of men and women, the Ten Commandments require children to honour both their father and mother:

"Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. ( Exodus 20:12)

God created both men and women in His own image and made them equal custodians of all His creation. But, because of their disobedience, God punished Adam and Eve and evicted them from the Garden of Eden. Eve's punishment was to suffer pain in childbirth and be ruled over by her husband.

Jesus broke with tradition and treated women in a much more egalitarian way than was normal in the society of that time. The early Christian churches followed Jesus' lead and gave women much higher status and more privileges than was common in the rest of the world.

Christians disagree over whether this principle should apply in the modern world. Is the man's authority over his wife and family a great spiritual principle decreed by God for all time, or is it, like the Bible's teachings about slavery, just a reflection of the realities of Biblical-era culture?

Today, many Christians believe women should enjoy all the same rights and privileges as men. Other Christians, however, continue to advocate a secondary role for women based specific Bible passages

The men is not said to be the leader but the head of the family.  In an organisation, institution or a country, a woman can also be a leader.

  

 

Congratulations Female Students!

Female Students Network (FSN) would like to congratulate most of the Network’s members who graduated with Diplomas and Degrees in various categories.

The past few years have not been rosy for many students, who faced hardships ranging from paying tuition fees to 

Female students have been having difficulties on the issues of accommodation. Some of them revealed female students that they had to share a room with 3 or 4 others while paying an amount of $50-$60 per head per month.

Chiedza Chiwetu, who graduated with a Bsc Honours Degree in Psychology, said she has  managed to finish her degree despite the many obstacles she faced at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ).She stated that

“Being a single mother and a student was not easy but through the support of my family and the strength from Almighty God it was possible. FSN has also supported me all the way throughout my Degree they have moulded me into the woman that I am that knows her value and her vision as a woman.  

Another FSN member, Daylite Marufu a former student at Belvedere Technical Teachers’ College says owes her success to God.

“My inspiration comes from God, I always prayed during my years at college and I believe God is the one who made me survive through all the hardships that I failed, “she said.

Daylite also attributed her success to the teachings she got from FSN.

“I would like to thank FSN for their moral support. The Network taught me to value myself as a woman and not let taken advantage of by men. I took this advice seriously and I will forever be grateful for it,” she added.

FSN is sure that their efforts were worth it all and that their achievements will make a positive difference in their career paths.

 

    

Daylite Shumba –Diploma in Teaching