BY VANESSA GONYE STAKEHOLDERS in the education sector have agreed on the need to urgently craft a policy to eliminate all forms of sexual harassment particularly at tertiary institutions. This came up last Saturday during a consultative meeting attended by members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education, Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) and other stakeholders. In a statement, ECOZI said the Public Service Commission had already tabled a draft sexual harassment policy, but there was need for enactment of the law to curb the vice. “The national sexual harassment policy will also affect tertiary colleges, for example teacher training colleges, vocational training centres and polytechnics. ECOZI would like to support the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education,Innovation Science and Technology to conduct consultative dialogues on the sexual harassment policy,” read the statement. ECOZI also decried the exclusion of women and adolescent girls in policy-making processes. “The consultations will ensure that female students constitute 70% of the participants. The project seeks to support the mobilisation of students to participate in the development of the policy. Effective participation promotes accountability and democratic policy-making processes. Participation in the policy-making process will ensure that gaps are addressed before the policy is adopted. Implementation is more effective when stakeholders participate in the policy-making process.” Hwange South MP Daniel Molokele (MDC Alliance), who is the chairperson of the Higher and Tertiary education Portfolio Committee, said students in tertiary institutions, faced challenges in reporting issues of sexual abuse, thereby silently enduring the disturbing occurrences. “At times students don’t report the abuses because nothing is done to punish the perpetrators,” he said, adding that students had a crucial role to play in order to end sexual harassment Follow Vanessa on Twitter @vanessa_gonye
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