EU injects €200m into GBV programmes in Zim

Zim Now Writer

The European Union (EU) is committed to ensuring freedom from sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Zimbabwe and is supporting fight this scourge through an over €200 million programme, which seeks to prevent and support survivors of SGBV in the country for the next five years.

This comes at a time when the country is commemoration of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

EU ambassador to Zimbabwe and the chairperson for the #HeForShe Campaign, Jobst Von Kirchmann revealed the development at the #HeForShe Dialogue meant for diplomats and business leaders.

“Our collective contribution to gender equality with Team Europe will amount to over €200 million over the period 2021-2027. That is a lot of money and I hope it will do a lot of good. We will have many specific projects for gender, but all our projects will have gender equality as a principal or significant objective,” he said.

UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator for Zimbabwe, Edward Kallon challenged diplomats and business leaders to use their influence to call for development programmes targeting women and the girl child.

“In health, strides are being made in reducing HIV infection rates and success in reaching some of the SDG goals such as reduction in maternal mortality rates and ensuring that women participate and are part of a growing society… not charity cases,” Kallon said.

He said economically, an estimated 84 percent of employable Zimbabweans are in the informal economy, of which approximately 67 percent are women.

Kallon said Zimbabwe is an agrarian society with a large population of women engaged in agriculture and it is only right and strategic to ensure that they have access to financial resources and means of production to be active and productive citizens in society.