WOZA
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WOZA is a human rights organization for women in Zimbabwe . The name is an apronym : The abbreviation stands for Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Women of Zimbabwe, stand up!) . At the same time, the word means come forward in Ndebele . With around 35,000 members, WOZA is the country's largest civil society movement.
The organization was founded in February 2003 by several women, including Jenni Williams , Sheila Dube and Magodonga Mahlangu . She uses peaceful means such as chants, dances and prayers to oppose repressive laws such as the Public Order and Security Act , the worsening social and economic situation and human rights violations in Zimbabwe. One of her tasks is to encourage other groups in Zimbabwe to also claim their rights and is therefore a particular target of state persecution. WOZA activists were arrested several times. On June 16, 2004, 43 women were arrested in Bulawayo , some of whom later reported ill-treatment, including lashes on the soles of the feet, by police officers. 48 women and four men were arrested during a march to Harare in September 2004 to raise funds for the women's rights movement. A demonstration in Bulawayo on February 12, 2005 resulted in 50 arrests. During a vigil in Harare in March 2005, 260 women, some with their children, were arrested. In all cases, the women were released after a short period of imprisonment, sometimes after paying fines. Lawyers reported massive intimidation attempts by the authorities. WOZA chairwoman Jenni Williams was arrested fifteen times in two years.
WOZA is supported in its work by Amnesty International and received the Amnesty International Human Rights Award in 2008 .
Web links
- Homepage of WOZA (English)
- Awarding of the human rights award to WOZA on the Amnesty International website (German)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Emmanuel K. Akyeampong and Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Eds.): Dictionary of African Biography , 6 volumes, Oxford University Press, New York 2012, Volume 1, p. 41, ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5 .