A LOCAL human rights group has called on the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) to investigate cases of targeted abuse of women on social media.
In a statement yesterday, Abantwana BoMzabalazo chairperson Mgcini Ncube said the civic group had noted an alarming rise in the use of anonymous and ghost social media accounts in cyber-bullying women.
Ncube said the online harassment weaponised social media to perpetuate patriarchal power plays.
“We, therefore, call upon regulators and lawmakers responsible for media and digital spaces to strengthen protection against online defamation, harassment and the misuse of pseudo accounts,” the statement read.
“The digital space must not be allowed to descend into a lawless zone where baseless allegations are posted and reshared without verification, evidence or due process.
“The media must take responsibility and refrain from amplifying such narratives without offering the right of reply to those being targeted.”
The civic group cited several female politicians, socialites and entrepreneurs such as Linda Masarira, Tariro Gezi, Rumbidzai Kanhukamwe and Getmore Mangundu, who have allegedly been subjected to online harassment.
“We are witnessing a trend where powerful women are being defamed by men through online proxies, to discredit their achievements and remove them from leadership spaces they have earned through merit,” the statement read.
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“Zimbabwe’s women have fought too hard and too long to be treated as disposable in the court of public opinion.
“Abantwana BoMzabalazo will continue to stand with and for all those who are unjustly attacked and demand accountability for those who use social media as a tool of oppression.”
