By Paidashe Mandivengerei
LOCAL girls and young women’s rights, Tag A Life International (TaLI) director, Nyaradzo Mashayamombe has said the organisation’s recently launched My Freedom of Information (MFoI) is targeting marginalised groups in Zimbabwe.
TaLI on Thursday the 22nd of July launched ‘My Freedom of Information’ campaign aimed at increasing awareness on the Freedom of Information Act that was gazetted in July 2020.
The new act replaced the controversial Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and will ease every person’s access to information from public, private and commercial entities.
The MFoI campaign spearheaded by TaLI with support from the Information Ministry, Fojo Media Institute (Fojo), International Media Support (IMS) and funding from the Sweden Embassy.
MFoI is also in collaboration with Identities Media TV, Bustop TV, Sly Media, Pindula and 263 Chat.
In an interview with Bustop TV, TaLI director, Nyaradzo Mashayamombe said the campaign was focusing on educating women, girls, youths, and people with disabilities as they have been historically excluded from democracy and human rights matters.
“The MfoI campaign is meant to benefit women, girls and youths mostly because they are usually the ones who are left out whenever there is information women are the hard to reach, they are left out of opportunities so we made it a point to make sure we are targeting women, girls and youth and the vulnerable groups including those living with disabilities to make sure that they have knowledge of this new law and that they can use it to their advantage to engage in other rights they need to enjoy so many women’s rights are violated and it is from this background that we recognise that women are left out in society,” she said.
Mashayamombe added that at the end of the campaign the targeted groups must be equipped with knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act and utilise it benefit from all other laws.
“We need to make sure that they need to know about this law that is quite a big enabler of all the other laws that affect their rights.
“At the end of this campaign, we want to see that women and girls are now knowledgeable and are also able to request information so that they can benefit from the rest of their other rights.”
