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WOMEN in the security industry should be given first priority to perform their duties during day time, the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) has said.

The union’s secretary-general, Mr Kenias Shamuyarira, said this while commenting on the case of a 31-year-old woman employed as a security guard in Bulawayo, who was recently raped while on night duty by her supervisor.

The female security guard was deployed to guard a local company when her supervisor visited her on the pretext that he was monitoring guards on duty.

Mr Shamuyarira said it was only proper for women in the security sector to work during day time, as they also had other responsibilities in the home as mothers.

“Let us not run away from the fact that women have got other extra responsibilities of looking after children at home, making sure that they are cooked for and are bathed,” he said.

“So, we need to make sure that such duties give leverage, give leeway for a woman who is in the security industry to perform such other duties because they are needed, whether we like it or not.

“I think it is dependent on the security industry workers union and their National Employment Council (NEC) to make sure that they seek and strive to balance the recent case and making sure that the security women are given priority to perform their duties during day time up until we have a conducive environment here in Zimbabwe.”

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Mr Shamuyarira said men were also more suited for night shifts since most crimes like robberies and break-ins were committed at that time, and they were better able to handle them.

He said some security companies also assigned night duties to women during early pregnancy before they proceeded on maternity leave.

As the country gears for elections, the union secretary general said it was crucial to ensure the safety of women security guards from potential incidents of violence.

Zimbabwe has recently been experiencing an increase in cases of sexual violence leaving women who have to move around at night increasingly vulnerable. – New Ziana