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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 28256, member: 2262"] People who commit sexual harassment might face jail time and heavy fines, thanks to a new law coming soon. The government has started working on the Sexual Harassment Bill and Gender Equality Bill that will turn sexual harassment into a criminal offense instead of just a civil problem. Sexual harassment happens when someone makes unwanted sexual comments or actions that make you feel uncomfortable. Officials are also putting final touches on changes to the Criminal Code Reform Act. These changes will force judges to give long sentences to criminals who rape kids, old people, or disabled people. Dr. Sithembiso Nyoni, who runs the Ministry of Women's Affairs, told lawmakers these big legal changes are coming because violence against women and girls keeps increasing across the country. Dr. Nyoni shared some scary numbers with the National Assembly. Police recorded 2,496 rape cases during just six months in 2020. Around 4,959 girls ended up pregnant, and 1,774 young girls were pushed into marriages after COVID lockdowns began last year. The Zimbabwe Gender Commission gave the Ministry draft ideas for the new bills, which aim to punish sexual harassers and create better gender equality. The government has discussed these plans with many women's legal groups. Both bills should go to the Cabinet for approval before May. At this moment, the Labour Act only calls sexual harassment an "unfair labor practice," meaning bosses face only civil penalties. The law prevents people from demanding sexual favors when hiring, creating jobs, or deciding pay raises. The Ministry of Justice leads work on changing the Criminal Code to include mandatory sentences for sex crimes. They started writing these changes but realized they needed more input from key groups. Dr. Nyoni mentioned the government will launch the Women Development Fund shortly. This money will fund projects for women who survived gender-based violence. The Ministry wants to connect women survivors with helpful resources. First, they learn useful skills, and then they write proposals to unlock funding opportunities. Research proves COVID lockdowns made violence against women much worse than before. Musasa Project, which helps abuse victims, counted 764 gender violence cases in just eleven days during early lockdown last year. That number far exceeds their usual 500-600 cases per month. Abigail Matsvayi from the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association believes harsh penalties will warn possible attackers to stay away. She fully supports these new laws and changes to existing rules about gender violence, especially sexual violence. She believes stronger punishment for offenders will reduce sexual violence across Zimbabwe. [/QUOTE]

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