She made the announcement at a DANIDA Support to Gender Based Violence and Empowerment for Young Women and Girls dialogue in Harare last week.
The majority of women seeking services at Musasa are young women who have been raped or suffered physical abuse at the hands strangers, neighbours, close relatives and even fathers.
False stats
Available statistics could be downplaying the true situation since the distances that those living in rural areas have to travel to report such crimes are so vast.
“Statistics for gender based violence continued to climb as protective measures are not accessible to poor victims. Required protection measures remain at higher echelons of society at the expense of the struggling majority,” said Musanhu.
“One of the other factors is lack of knowledge about how to take abuse cases to responsible authorities on the part of victims. This is mainly due to non attendance at educative workshop by girls and young women.”
A disturbing account of girls as young as 12 getting married in areas such as Chipinge was given at the dialogue. Musasa called for the realignment of Zimbabwe laws in keeping with international laws that restrict marriage to mature adults. The laws help girls and young women to be surrounded with people they trust.
The development of ‘eye’ stories, which enable victims to tell their own story, is being used as a tool for advocacy against gender based violence. Community citizen reporting is one of the tools used by Musasa to make people open up.
This is supported by community dialogue and sensitization programmes where people share their life experiences.
Chief’s wives empowered
Chiefs’ wives are taught how to handle victims as their homesteads are often the first port of call for abused women in rural areas.
Musasa is set to launch a one stop non-violence centre this coming June for victims to receive all necessary assistance in one place. Similar institutions will be established around the country at district and community levels. The country currently has one such institution in Mutare.
Zimbabwe was applauded for its girl empowerment framework and good laws which seek to protect women and the girl child, but not much is done to enforce them.
Julie Stewart, a professor at the Women’s Law Centre, called on Zimbabweans to change the lives of the girl child and young women since they are the future.
She commended the Zambian police for its participation in similar dialogues and urged regional law enforcement agencies to be party to such programmes.
Chief Child Protection Officer with UNICEF, Lauren Rumble, told participants that it was disheartening to learn that everyone knew of a woman who died in pregnancy, or who was abused or victimised.
“Faced with such a challenge, everybody must contribute towards the creation of educated and powerful women,” said Rumble.
Economic strength
The Permanent Secretary of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Sylvia Utete Masango, in a key note address said gender violence could only be eradicated if women were empowered. She said economically empowered women were less vulnerable to violence and other forms of abuse, hence the need to incorporate women and girl child empowerment initiatives in all efforts to fight gender violence.
Major victims of gender violence were cited as women who did not know where their next meal would come from.
“My ministry is helping to strengthen mechanisms to fight women abuse and partnering with Zimbabweans to eliminate all forms of gender based violence.
The government enacted laws against gender based violence and the Domestic Violence Act of 2007criminalises all forms of violence.”
Masango said boys should be encouraged to attend dialogues on gender based violence since they were the main culprits.
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs is popularising new laws aimed at protecting and empowering women through pictorial campaigns.
Printed material in the form of books and newsletters are distributed to communities, schools and churches. Spirited non-violence campaigns will be unrolled across the country during the 2012-2015 period.
Joining forces
The visiting Danish State Secretary and Head of DANIDA, Ib Petersen, said it was possible to eradicate gender violence if everyone joined forces.
“It is the responsibility of individuals, families, communities and nations to fight gender based violence. Civil Society should help empower women as one way of fighting gender based violence and facilitate access to critical resources for victims,” said Petersen.
Denmark has helped Zimbabwe eradicate gender based violence since the country attained its independence in 1980 and also provides resources towards female empowerment.
The Musasa Project was established in 1988.
Post published in: News