Stop Political Rape

WITNESS partner Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) spent months documenting politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe with a special focus on how this violence affected women across the country.  In a groundbreaking report released today (March 20, 2009) RAU notes that "violence denies women their most basic human rights and unless the government's legal and security departments are revamped and the culture of aggression and impunity is done away with, women will continue to be susceptible to violence inside and outside their home."

Despite existing legal mechanisms to prosecute the perpertrators, most have not been held accountable for their crimes
and there has been little support for the survivors.   RAU's report is groundbreaking in part because it was written by Zimbabwean women working inside Zimbabwe - no small feat considering the circumstances. Read the full report here.

We recorded an audio interview with a representative of RAU about the findings of the report and the recommendations to Zimbabwe's new unity government, formed last month through a power-sharing agreement between the main political parties.   We are withholding her name and identity due to the security risks involved.