Padare fights abuse of girl child

The campaign dubbed, Family Fun Day, started in Bindura on April 22 and is expected to end on Saturday. “Bindura is the most suitable venue for the event since it has the highest male population in Zimbabwe and records the highest cases of violence against the girl child and other women country wide,” said Padare Director, Kelvin Hazangwi.

The campaign targets male community leaders and fathers who are encouraged to appreciate the evils of girl child abuse. “Padare could not find a better venue than Bindura and some other parts of Mashonaland Central Province since statistics of girl children being victimised are more pronounced,” he said.

Community leadership will be educated about the need to say ‘No’ to violence against the girl child in the province.

“Girls should be made to feel safe at home,” said Hazangwi.

Some analysts believe the rampant abuse of the girl child in Mashonaland Central has been a direct result of Zanu (PF) youth training programmes being conducted in the area.

Padare plans to run the programme in Mashonaland East as well where early girl marriages are a big problem. The forum is concerned that girl children as young as 12 are being married off before they finish school.

The campaign, which starts mid May, will target areas such as Mutoko, Mudzi and Marondera Central. “The idea is to hold educative dialogues with communities and discourage them from sanctioning early marriages. Community leadership and parents should keep the girl child in school,” said Hazangwi. Padare also plans to campaign against domestic violence.

“Instead of expending energy engaging in violence, men should involve themselves more directly in the upbringing of children. It is disturbing to note that some men are invisible when mothers are raising the children, only to resurface as perpetrators of violence against their wives.

“Zimbabwe needs societies of strong men working together with equally strong women for social, political and economic development.”

The Girl Child Network has attended to some 20 000 cases of child sexual abuse over the past eight years in at least six provinces of Zimbabwe.

Women organisations in Zimbabwe requested SADC, AU and UN to pressure government to stop using violence against its people especially defenceless girls, women and other vulnerable members of communities. As Zimbabwe prepares for elections, there are fears that there will be a repeat of the violence which characterized the June 2008 presidential election re-run.