By Fanuel Chinowaita
Mutare, 26 November 2025 – Amnesty International Zimbabwe yesterday launched a nationwide campaign aimed at strengthening the protection and recognition of women informal cross-border traders, a sector long exposed to harassment, extortion and lack of social protection.
The campaign, titled “Decent Work as a Human Right for Women Informal Cross-Border Traders in Zimbabwe,” was launched in Mutare and attended by representatives from Government ministries, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Immigration Department, local authorities, civil society organisations, informal traders’ associations, ZIMRA, research partners and the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET).
Amnesty International Zimbabwe Director Lucia Masuka Zanhi, who delivered the organisation’s key report and address, said the campaign is grounded in a regional study published on 8 March 2024, which exposes severe rights violations faced by women traders in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Also present was VISET Executive Director Wadzanai Mangoma, whose organisation works closely with informal traders across the country.
Masuka Zanhi said the research covered four countries—South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi—and involved 161 participants, including 148 women, who shared experiences of harassment, income insecurity and gender-based violence at borders.
She said many traders are forced to operate without any form of social protection, unlike formally employed workers who benefit from NSSA, paid leave and medical insurance.
“When crises such as COVID-19 occur, informal traders face total income loss with no safety net,” she said.
The report also reveals cases of coercive transactional sex, with some women compelled to exchange sex for accommodation at border towns due to lack of safe and affordable facilities.
The organisation is calling for government-backed contributory and non-contributory social protection schemes tailored to the irregular incomes of informal traders.
Mutare Deputy Mayor, Alderman John Nyamhoka, who spoke on behalf of the City Council, said Mutare fully supports efforts to uplift and protect the rights of women who contribute significantly to local and national economies.
“As we commemorate the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, I declare that no form of GBV will be tolerated in this city,” he said.
Nyamhoka praised the collaborative approach between Amnesty International, VISET, civil society and Government ministries, noting that Mutare—being a major regional trade gateway—has a responsibility to ensure safe, dignified trading environments.
Giving his solidarity message , Mr Gabriel Jaji the Director from the Ministry of Women Affairs, Small to Medium Enterprises and Community Development, said women cross-border traders are central to Zimbabwe’s economic transformation.
He emphasised that informal cross-border trade is “real employment and real entrepreneurship” that sustains thousands of households.
“No woman should be forced to choose between earning a living and maintaining her safety,” Jaji said.
He urged traders to formalise their enterprises to avoid penalties and take advantage of regional trade frameworks such as AfCFTA and COMESA.
Amnesty International said the new campaign will bring together Government departments, civil society and informal sector partners to push for reforms that ensure safer borders, fairer trading conditions and enhanced recognition of women traders’ economic contributions.
The organisation says women cross-border traders are “the backbone of household livelihoods” and meaningful policy changes are long overdue.