Zimbabwe

JASS’ widely-recognizable symbol speaks right to the heart of women across the region. From rural activists in Northern Malawi to young women in Lusaka, the call to “cross the lines” of inequality and oppression rings true. See JASS SNA in action.

JASS stands in solidarity with members of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex (LGBTI) community in Zimbabwe in the wake of the most recent incidents of harassment and violence committed by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).

Last month, a young woman stepped out of a Harare club for air, and was arrested by a plainclothes policeman on a charge of loitering and soliciting. She spent the night in a cell at the police station. A week later, writer, Tsitsi Dangarembga, was interrogated by police while waiting for friends at a restaurant. In Zimbabwe, women across the spectrum are apprehended nightly by the police under the auspices of the Criminal Law Act (2004), a far reaching tool of government repression covering everything from national security to ‘public morals’. “It’s about policing women’s bodies,” says Winnet Shamuyarira, an activist organizer.

Netty Musanhu is the Executive Director of Musasa Project, an organisation that implements gender-based violence programs in Zimbabwe. Bringing over twelve years of experience in women’s rights, violence against women and project management, Netty supports JASS’ Heart—Mind—Body program in Zimbabwe.