Zim vows to strengthen accountability in gender-ba...

Zim vows to strengthen accountability in gender-based violence initiatives

Audrey Galawu

Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said there is need to develop and strengthen institutional systems and mechanisms that create accountability among duty-bearers to the implementation of strong legal and policy framework and stronger messaging on gender inequality as a driver of violence against women and girls.

Speaking during the Spotlight Initiative against gender-based violence yesterday, Mutsvangwa said violence against women, girls and children is preventable and gender inequalities should not be promoted as the norm in Zimbabwe.

She also said financing for Gender Equality and for initiatives to eradicate GBV and harmful practices in Zimbabwe must be increased.

“The Government, private sector and development partners must work together and within their individual sectors to mobilise and increase the financial resources for addressing the systemic, structural, and cultural barriers which perpetuate inequalities and violence against women and children.

“We still need financial support from development partners for programmes and initiatives on gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls and for the elimination of GBV.

“We need coordinated, consistent and collective approaches and actions to address these urgent issues. What the Spotlight Initiative model has shown us is that when all stakeholders are coordinated in a comprehensive manner with a shared vision and objectives, we can move the needle faster towards change.

“Our efforts to achieve gender equality and to eliminate all forms of GBV must be mutually reinforcing,” Mutsvangwa said.

She added that the Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence against women, girls and children has given us a strong foundation to expand from, and created momentum in all sectors.

“Some of our strategic priorities, among others, include: Implementation of the Plan of Action of the High-level, Political Compact and the National GBV Strategy, which we will launch in December.

“These are our national blueprints for addressing GBV as well as for promoting and protecting the human rights of women and girls as citizens, revitalisation of the National Gender Machinery as a mechanism for coordination, lobbying and oversight for the implementation of laws and policies to advance gender equality in all sectors.

“Acceleration and strengthening of our gender-responsive, budget initiatives led by the Ministry of Finance and Investment Promotion, as well as the creation of models to mobilise domestic funding for gender equality, empowerment and GBV programmes in partnerships with the Private Sector and Development Partners.

“Partnering with others on Women’s Economic Empowerment, with specific focus on GBV survivors, the most marginalised and vulnerable groups of women in our rural areas.

“We need far more joint initiatives and programmes involving Government, Civil Society, Private Sector, Independent Commissions and Oversight Institutions, Development Partners, among others, which create and respect national ownership," she noted.

According to the Afrobarometer 2022, Gender-based violence affects one in every three women globally. The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency reports that in Zimbabwe, 40% of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner, including 19% who suffered such violence during the previous 12 months.

Reports suggest that GBV remains under-reported as many survivors resolve to suffer in silence than face an unresponsive legal system.