NON-Governmental Gender Organisation’s Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has protested State House Security protocols that bar women from entering with their handbags.
NGOCC Chairperson Grace Sinkamba revealed in a statement that some women were barred from accessing State House during the commemoration of African Freedom Day because they had nowhere to leave their handbags.
Ms Sinkamba said this amounts to a human rights infringement on women and the girl child.
“Women carry essentials in such bags that form part of their being based on their biological makeup, including items that are necessary for personal hygiene. It is therefore a gross infringement of their rights for the event security to deny women entry into State House with their bags during the last commemoration of African Freedom Day,” she said.
“We noted several women who were denied entry because they had nowhere to leave their handbags. The invitation did not indicate that women were not to enter with their handbags, nor was there any provision for women to leave their handbags in a safe place at the entrance. This disadvantaged women, some of whom were not able to attend the event at all,” she said.
She said it must be emphasised that handbags are part of a woman’s dress, which forms an integral part of their rights to expression and privacy.
