Rejoice Timire
Rejoice Timire (7 April 1959 – 11 August 2021) in the village of Musume in Mberengwa District, Zimbabwe. She was a Zimbabwean disability activist and politician, She attended Matedzi Primary School and Musume Secondary School, later studying business at university. By the mid-1990s, she had become a businesswoman. She was dedicated advocate for disability rights, serving in the Senate of Zimbabwe from 2018 until her passing in 2021, where she represented a special constituency for people with disabilities. She was instrumental in establishing an official disability policy within the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Quotes
[edit]- The government is undoubtedly overwhelmed, but they are working to assist everyone. Some individuals have already received cash transfers and food. However, challenges remain with information dissemination about registration for aid. While we are not part of the task force, we are actively advocating for this
- Our organization is advocating for a requirement in the new constitution for 25-percent representation of people with disabilities in all companies.
- A significant part of the discrimination issue stems from the lack of laws addressing disability. When there is no formal legislation, it is unreasonable to expect people to understand or truly know what disability entails.
- Married women with disabilities often face abuse within their households. Upon divorce, they risk losing all their property due to a lack of awareness about their rights. This is not recognized as abuse; instead, it is viewed as the man’s right, as disabled women are often unfairly deemed “useless.”
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- A woman with a disability may be unable to physically reach a police station to report an incident. If she is deaf, she may also struggle to communicate with anyone there.
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