Women arrested during Mother's Day march

Forty-six women were arrested and detained during a Mother's Day march in Zimbabwe on Saturday, Jenni Williams, a spokeswoman for Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), told IRIN. The women had been carrying out a symbolic street-sweeping in the country's second city of Bulawayo at the time of their arrest, "to sweep away the violence and torture of people, and to get our house in order," Williams said. The women also demanded fairer food prices. "We want the crisis in Zimbabwe to be resolved and are not prepared to suffer any more," Williams said. "The struggle for women's rights in Zimbabwe continues and needs to be heard by the men who are mismanaging this country." In accordance with Zimbabwe's controversial Public Order and Security Act, WOZA had applied for permission for the march. This was declined in Bulawayo but allowed, with conditions, in the capital Harare. The arrested women were released after three hours, on payment of a Zim $3,000 fine (US $3.50). The arrests were condemned by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) who said it demonstrated the government's "insensitivity to gender issues". Last month hundreds of MDC supporters were arrested during stayaways protesting government policies.