THE Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) has been recognised for its fight for the welfare of civil servants, winning an international human rights award on Thursday.
Artuz was recognised among other four rights defenders from
Afghanistan, Belarus, Sudan and Mexico by the Irish-based human rights
organisation, Front Line Defenders (FLD).
“In 2015, Artuz launched the safe schools campaign to
prevent schools from being used as political means.
In 2018, the union sued the electoral commission for
denying teachers the right to vote during elections,” FLD said in a statement
yesterday.
“In the past 12 months, the union handled 132 cases of
teachers who were forcibly transferred for being members of the union. 220
members have been arrested, detained and beaten by state security forces.
“In January 2022, 16 teachers who were part of a group of peaceful protestors protesting for a living wage were beaten, arrested and incarcerated. They were released on bail on January 17, 2022.”
The FLD applauded the union for developing a remote teaching
toolkit for use by teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Artuz members have been arrested and attacked for their
work. Artuz has pushed for the adoption of the Education Equalisation Fund,
which would support young girls and pregnant girls in receiving an education.”
Newsday
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