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Beitbridge Bureau

Zimbabwe has ratified and continues to implement key instruments that provide for gender equality across all sectors, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Senator Monica Mutsvangwa has said.

She said the Government was actively working towards bridging gender gaps which exists in innovation and technological advancement.

The Minister made the remarks while addressing delegates during the 67th session of the Commission on the status of women held in New York yesterday. The event is being held under the theme innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women.

 “Zimbabwe has a progressive policy for promoting gender equality,” said the Minister.

“To actualise this commitment, the national economic blue print, the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) prioritises acceleration and intensification of the implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) systems in both public and private sectors”.

She added that the government was also rolling out policies that provide an enabling framework for women and girls access to the use of ICT.

 The minister said this has been achieved through the establishment of CICs in both urban and rural areas, with free training and access to electronic resources.

She said the Data Protection Act provides for the protection of women and girls from cyber bullying among other issues.

“You will note that the smart Zimbabwe 2030 master plan has been put in place to increase the usage of ICTs across sectors regardless of geographical location, economic status or gender,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

“In the education sector, we have introduced the Education 5.0 policy which is equipping graduates from institutions of higher learning with skills that empower them to be innovative through the transformative science technology”.

Deliberate efforts, she said were being made to ensure increased enrolment of women and girls in STEM.

This has been made possible through mentorship programs, science camps, scholarships as well as the introduction of STEM education in all teachers’ colleges where women are dominant.

The minister added that government had also opened virtual courts in all 10 administrative provinces.

 “These use a system that allows electronic accessibility of court processes and facilities a paperless case management system,” said Senator Mutsvangwa.

“So, this has the effect of making the justice delivery system affordable, transparent, speedily and accountable by limiting the paper filings, thereby protecting interests of witnesses and reducing the backlog of pending cases. 

“Most importantly it reduces the frequency of movement for the witnesses and survivors who previously had to frequent the court for the finalisation incurring a huge monetary burden on families”