Susan Sarandon, Cyndi Lauper Urge Zimbabwe Government To End Violence Against Women

November 18, 2009 12:20 p.m. EST

New York, NY (CNS) - Peter Gabriel, Susan Sarandon, Cyndi Lauper, and Citizen Cope have all signed a petition to help end politically motivated violence against women in Zimbabwe.

The signatories want Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Morgan Tsvangirai to ensure that the government will investigate and prosecute all cases of politically motivated violence against women and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The petition campaigns for financial assistance to women who have been victimized by violence, as reiterated by the Zimbabwean Global Political Agreement and the South African Development Community Protocol on Gender and Development.

The move was inspired by the remarks made at the WITNESS Focus for Change Benefit Dinner and Concert in New York by Kuda Chitsike, Program Manager at the Research and Advocacy Unit in Zimbabwe.

Chitsike and her organization have joined forces with human rights organization WITNESS to produce visual evidence of violence against women in the region.