InfocusNews 18 - 23 July 2022
mining should make an effort to participate in national fairs, workshops, seminars, and indabas so that they can exchange experiences and best practices. “It is important for women to participate in mining because when women have their own mines, this will translate to economic sustainability, community development, and growth,” she said.
Mining industry male-dominated
T
he curtain came down on the Mine Entra Expo which began on Wednesday, with calls to increase women’s participation in the male-dominated industry. The 25th edition of the fair returned after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In an interview with Infocus, Young Miners Foundation (YMF) Administrator and Registrar Farai Dorothy Chimhawu said there are high gender imbalances in mining as only 15% of the small-scale mines are owned by women.
still people who believe that mining is for men only,” she said. YMF is one of the 167 companies in the mining industry that showcased their work. Other companies that exhibited during the threeday fair include Pump and steel. Proplastics, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, MinePro, P&R Hydraulics, Elite Steel, National Railways of Zimbabwe, and Nashy Mining Components among others. Chimhawu said the few women in
“We encourage the participation of women in mining and cater to persons with disability through our Young Women Miners group. Young Women should participate in the Mine Entra as this will also encourage other young women to be involved in mining as there are
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Chimhawu also noted that women often do not participate in mining because of a lack of access to capital which limits their active involvement. The exhibition ran from July 20 and ends on July 2022 under the theme Explore. Extract. Expand: Towards Sustainable Mining Value Chains. The event created a platform for dialogue and engagement for mining industry stakeholders around the country. Other countries that attended the largest mining, engineering, and transport expo in the country include China, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
InfocusNews posed by magistrates were mostly discretionary and varied with each presiding officer, even when the circumstances were the same.
Set Minimum sentence for Rapists between 30 to 60years
M
USASA project has called on policy makers to consider imposing a deterrent sentence on rapists as means of curbing prevalent sexual abuse in Zimbabwe following reports that a total of 46 under five females where sexually abused from January to June this year in Bulawayo. In a petition which has already been tabled in parliament, Musasa called for minimum mandatory sentence to anyone convicted of sexual offences. The organisation is advocating for a minimum mandatory sentence of between 30 and 60 years for rape perpetrators, saying this would help deter would-be offenders.
“We also have a provision where that rape sentence can take life imprisonment, but we haven’t seen where it has been effected, but it says in worst case scenario. The argument then will be in case of rape which is the worst-case scenario and which one is not because rape affects emotionally, physically, economically, socially and affects the whole person, a whole life is destroyed. If we have a minimum sentence on cattle theft where it’s nine years. What is the cost of human life over wild animals, over the cost of cattle, so we need to prioritize this because this is really an emergency,” she said the 46 toddlers raped since the beginning of 2022 are part of the 320 women and girls who visited the Mpilo Central Hospital Family Support Clinic with concern that these figures are just a tip of the iceberg. A total of 14 males were also sexually violated with growing concern that such cases are on the increase. The most affected age group was the 12-17 year-olds as a total of 149 females presented at the unit.
Statistics in Zimbabwe show that at least 22 women are raped daily, resulting in rights groups calling for stiffer penalties.
Ideally sexual abuse survivors should report and get treatment for sexually transmitted infections including HIV and unwanted pregnancies within 72 hours.
Musasa advocacy and communications officer Ms Rotina Mafume-Musara said sentences im-
Statistics from the clinic however show that these figures reflect only those who manage to report within
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72 hours as a majority of these present later. Mpilo public relations officer Sister Norma Mabhena said a lot needs to be done to deal with culture of silence affecting those who have been sexually abused. “From January to June we recorded a total of 317 cases and some of these are children aged zero to five years. We had a total of 46 female under-fives, 46 both male and females aged 6-11 years while a total of 157 survivors aged between 12 and 17 were also sexually abused,” said Sr Mabhena. “We had one female in the 60plus age group who was also raped, 4 men and 76 women who were sexually abused who are aged between 18 and 59. We offered counselling, emergency contraceptives, and post exposure prophylaxis.” Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson said police were working flat out to weed sexual predators and called on residents to never leave their children unattended as they can be sexually abused. “We are recording a concerning increase of rape cases by uncles, fathers, tenants, landlords etc. and we encourage residents to be wary of even their relatives because anyone is a potential rapist. We are grateful for the feedback we get from residents but they need to also report these cases on time and ensure they do not expose their children to abuse by leaving them in the care of relatives or landlords,” said Insp Ncube.
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Call for projects 2022 - EUFA Foundation On 27 june 2022 the uefa foundation for children launches its call for projects which seek to promote children’s fundamental rights across the world. facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
This call for projects is aimed at any organisation that shares the values of the UEFA foundation and proposes practical measures to help children, in the areas of access to
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Phd position in digital health and health systems We have a vacancy for a PhD position in the field of digital health and health systems at the Department of Health Sciences in Ålesund (IHA). The period of employment is for three years (100%). For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctor-
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program of a broader $1 billion philanthropic commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt. The 100 Global Winners selected from tens of thousands of applicants speak more than 20 languages and hail from 42 countries, including Afghanistan, China, India, Kenya, Mexico, and the United States. Education Matters is a proud partner of Rise.
Rise is a collaborative initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust which is designed to increase opportunities for exceptional young people. Schmidt Futures, in partnership with The Rhodes Trust, facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
announced the inaugural cohort of 100 Global Winners for Rise, a global initiative that finds brilliant people who need opportunity and supports them for life as they work to serve others. Rise is the anchor
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The Rise program is looking for young people between the ages of 15 and 17 (In Zimbabwe, Form 3- Lower 6) to apply. This year, 17 applicants from Zimbabwe were selected as finalists, with 3 being selected as winners.
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