Greetings from Betty Makoni Director and Founder of Girl Child Network as well Local Lead focal Point Person for Grassroots Organisations Operating Together In Sisterhood (GROOTS Zimbabwe)

I am now in Mexico and am shocked with the news that the French authorities allegedly deported two grassroots women from Zimbabwe who were on their way to Mexico for the AIDS conference taking place until 9 August 2008

Last week our staff members went to the French embassy and insisted that we needed transit visas for France and the French authorities in Harare told them and insisted that there was no need for transit visas for Zimbabweans and that the two women could leave and would not have problems.South African Airways cleared the two women at the Harare International Airport and the two women were even allowed to travel all the way to France on Air France on Thursday last week only to be deported back to Johannesburg on Friday .

What has left us shocked is the unlawful kind of detention of the two women at the Johannesburg airport and the interrogation they have been subjected to by authorities at the French International airport.The two women cannot speak French or English and they have letters from our organisation and AIDS Conference organisers and GROOTS International requesting for assistance and the letters are very clear that they are part of a grassroots women team attending the AIDS conference to share their experiences

What has pained me most is that for one of the women she is handicapped having suffered polio as a child.She cannot walk and she was coming here to join sessions on HIV and AIDS and the handicapped and also she wanted to speak to the world about the struggles of poor rural women and the daily struggles they go through.The world is still waiting to hear from her here in Mexico .For me to understand that the French authorities denied her a transit visa entry for a life time opportunity is the most painful story in my life

Now the other issue is that despite all the required papers the two women have ,they have disappeared and we cannot locate them.The last time some people saw them they were at the Johannesburg airport and my appeal to authorities of France and the two airlines is that there is no need for them to punish the women holding them like semi slaves after denying them a life time opportunity to be at a conference where they could have gained a lot and even taken such opportunities to other women in the world.We plead with all men holding these women to set them free and return them to Zimbabwe .My appeal is that they stop harassing them because they were not going to France but to Mexico and since they have lost so much please set them free because right now they are at the Johannesburg airport

Please can anyone in the world appeal to French authorities in Paris ,we want them to know such treatment of women passing through their borders to important conferences like the AIDS conference taking place in Mexico deserve better treatment especially if the women are handicapped

Please pass on this appeal to anyone you feel will help free the women who have been denied a life time opportunity to be in Mexico .The pain and trauma the women suffered is beyond comprehension.I understand women from Cameroon went through the same and my plea is that HIV and AIDS is no new subject and anyone seeing letters stating women are travelling to do something about HIV and AIDS must be touched and act immediately

Lets all treat women humanely and especially those who are poor,marginalised and handicapped .They cant do much about their situation but honestly we can help!
The two women were denied the right to travel because they are poor and illiterate and many borders have allowed many robbers traffickers etc but for poor harmless women the struggles to travel decently is not allowed

Anyone who can help on this matter please contact me on 52 55 33 0 535 and ask for Limota or Betty Makoni