Female Student Network (FSN) strongly condemns the brutality of the police towards female students

Friday 13.november 22 female students were beaten and arrested by police. 

They were demonstrating against the violations of their academic freedom, and voicing out their concerns about the high tuition and accommodation fees at their respective institutions. The scenario took place in central business district in Harare were students were marching from Rezende Street towards the Parliament to present their petition. 
22 female students were arrested; six was released the same day, while 16 remained in arrest overnight and released on Saturday afternoon. 

As an organisation that advocates for the active representation and participation of female students in tertiary institutional politics, FSN is greatly disturbed by these arrests. 

The Network has previously been receiving reports from female students who withdrew from contesting in student representative council (SRC) elections because of risk and fear of being beaten up or arrested. 
FSN strongly believes these arrests and the violence used are some of the root causes and hindrances to female students full participation in student politics and generally in the democratic process.

Therefore FSN urges the government to respect human rights and allow students to demonstrate for their academic freedoms as this is not attached to political affairs, but student grievances towards their academic education.

FSN will always fight for academic freedom for female students in solidarity with other student movements. This will increase their participation in student leadership without fear of being arrested.

FOR HOW LONG ZIMBABWEAN STUDENTS?

 By Patience Malunga

The fees must fall campaign in South Africa eventually led to a non-increment to the tuition fees. Well done South Africa student community! However, I am bitterly bleeding and asking myself when the circumstances of Zimbabwean students will change.

 Most of us students in tertiary institutions are relying on a payment plan because our parents cannot afford the exorbitant tuition fees .My question is for how long are you going to use a payment plan that you cannot even afford to pay on time to access your education ?

Right now you are almost concluding a semester but the surprising thing is you do not even know if you passed the previous semester examinations because your results are withheld, you have not cleared last semester’s fees. Is this how things should be?

Most of us have graduated and still we do not have our original transcripts and certificates because we are owing the cadetship scheme which the government was supposed to pay, but instead its now our personal obligation to pay the bill. My question, is for how long Zimbabwean students?

Most of us are paying tertiary tuition which is above 600 US dollars yet our parents still earn below the poverty datum line. Is this not a wakeup call?

Needless to speak about the power cuts that affect our reading, the water shortages that affect our health, the exorbitant rentals etc.

When the French revolution broke out some historians said it was because of the winds of change blowing across Europe. Is this not a wind of change blowing across the student community in Southern Africa? Education must be accessible #FEESMUSTFALL.

Female students in tertiary institutions face myriad problems

By Yvonne Mufute (Midlands State University)

In most tertiary institutions, female students are more vulnerable as compared to the male students. Young women are affected due to welfare, abusive lecturers, abuse among students and peer pressure. 

Female students are at higher risk in institutions such as Midlands State University, Great Zimbabwe University and Chinhoyi University of Technology. The welfare of female students is being affected and as a result some are forced to live the life they do not want.

 When we talk of welfare, these are issues related to accommodation, availability of food, conducive learning environment, in short the wellbeing of students.Most students engage in temporary marriages that will last for 3-4 months. A temporary marriage is where by boys and girls stay together as husband and wife and at the end of semester they separate without the knowledge of their parents.

This is caused by high rentals for instance in places like Senga –Nehosho in Gweru, Morningside in Masvingo students pay full rentals $70-90 per head and they will be staying  3-4 pupils  in a room.

It’s so expensive as a result students choose to engage in those temporary marriages and some cohabit with others so to share responsibilities and save money for groceries and other necessities. 

Due to peer pressure some female students get into contractual relationships with older men in order to carter for their needs and wants like clothes, food and other necessities.

On the other side male landlords demand sex from female students for them not to pay their rentals.

If you reject they will be on your neck giving one a hard time for instance raising rentals, locking the gate before 7pm when others will be in school by that time. Usually girls cannot negotiate for safe sex since they will be in need for money above all as a mere beneficiary in the relationship.

Sexual Transmitted Diseases and HIV have become so common on campus to an extent that campus clinics now provide ARVs and medication for STIs. In some tertiary institutions, female students are forced to have sexual relationships with their lecturers due to financial problems and eagerness to obtain distinctions in their academics.

Lecturers demand sexual favors from female students for them to pass their course and as they go for attachment the bosses will be on their neck demanding sex. Female students are affected in so many ways, hence a lot has to be done to ensure their protection and to guide them so that they make the right decisions for their future.

A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS

                                     By Linda Kazembe (Midlands State University)

The room was so silent

Sorrow overshadowed me

I knew I was not alone                                                                                

 Tip top went the sound behind me                                       

My heart raced

Alone in a dark world of shattered dreams

A little hopeless girl

With a beast as a father

As the sun set so did my heart faint

No dreams for a brighter future

The sound was as fast as the drum beats

It was so rough as always

My face became his punching bag

Tattoos became my cover page

My painter was my father

Blood stains all over

Pain eats me alive

As I was about to surrender

The voice came again

Like an angel from above

Out of darkness

Led me into the light

Gave me a shoulder to lean on

A cloth to wipe away all the pain

Restored my strength

The chirping birds

The wind

Whispered words of motivation

I became a voice for the voiceless

Pain made me stronger

The time had come

For the first time NO

Changed my life

I was free

Stand up and fight for your rights

Have the courage to say NO!

BITTER IS HER BATTLE AND BETTER IS HER VICTORY!!!!

By

Patience Malunga

Created from the rib of man meant her position was right beside and never in merciless irony hands.

She dreads to fight because of fear

Her voice goes mute whenever she wants to scream

Voiceless are her cries and broken is her smile

A stranger to peace and a commoner to tears pain and sorrow

Darkness has failed to give her solace neither her tears able to moisturize the dryness on her face

In labor she travails to bring forth another human being to life

Despite the pains and the turmoil of labor she gladly embraces her new one

 Routine of breastfeeding, diaper changing and sleepless nights follows

She does this in the name of love to a man whose love is miles away

This man has nothing to offer but a bitter pill of anger, rage and hatred

His music is full of torture as his words are never positive

But strongly she lives and fights for the cause of her children

She wears the victor’s crown

A hero whose song is never sang ………………..

FSN celebrates International Youth Day

As the world commemorates International Youth Day, Female Students Network (FSN) cherishes the strides made to ensure that young people of today become active participants of their destiny on the political, social and economic spheres of their communities.

Youths are the future leaders of tomorrow, but it’s sad however to note that their voices often go unheard.

For our country to move forward to a brighter future, youth voices need to be amplified, their concerns heard because they are the ones holding the country’s future.

Hearing out what the youths are saying is essential for designing specific interventions that address their unique vulnerabilities and enable them to realize their hopes and aspirations. Therefore there is need to create platforms where youth can participate and share knowledge and ideas on how they can be active citizens who can able to contribute effectively to their personal development and that of the country.

There is also need to increase the capacity of young women in decision making positions, starting from within families going up to national level so as to reinforce gender equality.

Most young people, particularly the most vulnerable, lack knowledge of how to participate in relevant networks. As we celebrate this day however, there is need to look at the challenges that the young people of today are still facing, unemployment being the major one so that they can be rectified.

The failure by governments across the globe, including Zimbabwe to guarantee the eradication of all challenges that result in young women not being afforded the same opportunities as young men dropping out of school is against human freedoms and we condemn such in the strongest sense.

 

FSN therefore urges the government and development partners to effectively engage young people in developing national planning strategies and policies so that they can be given an opportunity to actively participate in all national processes.

An increased commitment among young people, youth-led organizations and greater political will of decision makers at all levels are needed for meaningful youth participation in development policy planning.

Promoting awareness among young people and enabling their full engagement in mitigation centred initiatives can facilitate their experience and enable them to so assume ownership of their contribution to development.

FSN Condems ZINASU/ZICOSU rivalry

Female Students Network (FSN) would like to express its displeasure in the continued rivalry between the two leading students’ movements in the country, Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) and Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union (ZICOSU).

We have a strong belief that the rivalry which sometimes turns nasty is the root cause of why female students are shunning student leadership. FSN condemns in the strongest sense the polarisation of student movement along political parties as we believe that student’s movements are meant to impress the plight of students. We consider that the  plight of students is the same, hence there is no reason why the two organisations should be at each other’ s throats as opposed to forging a united front in improving the learning conditions for students.

The Network understands that the rivalry between ZINASU and ZICOSU is an extension of the polarisation of the political situation in Zimbabwe where some political parties are now using the student bodies to further their ambitions at the expense of the students’ plight.

As an organisation that advocates for equal participation between female and male students in institutional politics, FSN is greatly disturbed by these clashes as they hinder the Network’s cause. The Network has been receiving reports from female students who withdraw from contesting in SRC elections because of intimidation and fear of being caught up in the clashes between ZICOSU and ZINASU. These clashes do not provide a level ground for the maximum participation of female students.

Furthermore, FSN believes a united and focused student movement will deliver the much needed improvement of educational standards and student politics which we all aim to achieve.  When we call for unity we are not saying ZINASU and ZICOSU should merge, and form one union.  While this might be noble, they might have different founding ideologies and principles, but we also believe that a request for a united fight for the uplifting of student welfare is not asking for too much from the two bodies if their cause is real.

We believe that with a united spirit, the rivalry between the two bodies will be a thing of the past hence female students who are usually vulnerable in hostile environments will start actively participating in student leadership without fear of being fingered in the nasty fights between ZICOSU and ZINASU.