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Stakeholders have been called upon to sustain and expand the gains of the Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative and to accelerate the implementation of the High-Level Political Compact on Ending Gender-Based Violence and Harmful Practices, which is aligned with the National Development Strategy 1 and Vision 2030.
This came to the fore in an address delivered on behalf of the Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development, Hon M. Mutsvangwa at the Spotlight Close-Out Event today 27 November 2023 at the Golden Conifer Sports Club in Harare.
“The Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence against Women, Girls, and Children has given us a strong foundation to
expand from and create momentum in all sectors, which we can build upon now to accelerate towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 5. We should harness, not lose this Momentum!
“To sustain and expand the gains of the Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative and to accelerate the implementation of the High-Level Political Compact on Ending Gender-Based Violence & Harmful Practices, which is aligned with our National Development Strategy 1 and Vision 2030, I would like to share with you my Ministry’s Priorities for advancing Gender Equality, Women’s Rights and the Empowerment of Women and Girls,” Hon Mutsvangwa said.
In his intervention at the same meeting, Hon Jobst von Kirchmann, Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Zimbabwe, said the campaign on 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) under the theme, “Unite! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls,” resonates deeply with the efforts of the EU and its Member States, as well as Switzerland, under the Team Europe Initiative on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.
He said the collaborative effort has been pivotal in supporting initiatives like the Spotlight Initiative, which has shown significant progress in enhancing the lives of women and girls.
“We’ve witnessed these achievements in the documentary we just watched, showcasing the impactful work of the Spotlight Initiative. Throughout this event, we’ll hear more from those on the front lines of implementation, detailing the positive changes made possible through our joint endeavours.
“The Spotlight Initiative has been a shining example of what collaboration and partnership can achieve in the fight against GBV. It’s heartening to see the collective efforts of the Government of Zimbabwe, civil society organizations, including Community-Based Organizations, and the private sector. Together, through its six pillars, the Initiative addressed various facets of GBV, promoting accountability and an environment conducive to change,” Ambassador Kirchmann said.
Speaking on the same occasion, His Excellency Edward Kallon, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator encouraged stakeholders to focus more concertedly on closing the gender inequalities gaps and on addressing the human rights violations that women and girls face daily and throughout their lives.
“We can no longer half-step or tiptoe around a fundamental development and human rights issue. Gender equality is a fundamental right, but often in our programming and work, we lessen the importance of this human right by referring to it as ‘gender issues’ or we hear reference to gender-based violence as a ‘soft’ social issue. We launched the 16 Days Activism Against Gender-Based Violence on Sunday 26 November 2023 in Hauna, Manicaland Province with the Honourable Minister.
“We sadly noted during discussions that violence against women and girls remains a widespread human rights violation. Despite the existence of laws to combat such violence, enforcement challenges and discriminatory social norms continue to persist. Startling statistics reveal that approximately one in three women and girls experience gender-based violence, inhibiting their potential and contribution to their countries’ development,” HE Kallon said.
In Zimbabwe, for instance, the 2019 Zimbabwe Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey reported that 39.4% of women aged 15-49 experience physical violence at least once in their lifetime, while 11.6% experience sexual violence. Additionally, one in three women between the ages of 20-49 in the country were married before they turned 18.
Globally, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women have reported that over five women or girls are killed every hour by a family member. The COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, and climate change have further exacerbated violence against women and girls, intensifying existing challenges and introducing new threats.
“This setback is disheartening. Global reports predict that at the current rate, it will take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments. If we talk about ‘evidence-based’ policies and programmes, then this evidence, along with the data on gender inequalities that we have at the national level, is telling,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to redirect resources in the most effective ways possible and mobilize more resources. HE Kallon said there is a need to create and implement in all sectors more dedicated programmes that directly contribute to the attainment of SDG 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”
The UN Senior official said the Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence against Women and Girls has been one such example of a dedicated, comprehensive model approach for addressing an issue of gender inequality.
“The unique comprehensive approach and holistic model to eliminate violence against women and girls addressed the issue on multiple fronts: education, reproductive health, economic empowerment, strengthening institutions, tackling systemic and cultural barriers, strengthening, and closing gaps in laws and policies, creating Standard Operating Procedures, and strengthening the capacity of service providers, among others.
“The Initiative was selected as one of the UN’s 12 High Impact Initiatives because it was a shift from disconnected and small-scale projects to a model that unified communities, civil society, governments, private sector, donors, and experts under a common approach rooted in local needs, and it directly invested in women’s movements. In Zimbabwe, the wide partnerships created for the implementation of Spotlight were a huge strength,” he added.
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission, represented by Commissioner Sibongile Mauye, said it appreciates the technical and financial support through the Spotlight initiative which helped in amplifying the Commission’s work and increase the visibility of the Commission in areas where the Commission has no presence.
The support from stakeholders enabled the Zimbabwe Gender Commission to carry out a number of initiatives towards addressing gender-based violence.
The 2020 National Gender Forum focused on strengthening and enhancing accountability to GBV and the 2021 National Gender Forum covered ways of ending child marriages. The National Inquiry on Child Marriages and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) of Young Women and Girls (2022) – Report was launched on the International Day of the Girl Child in 2023.
The Strategy for the elimination of sexual harassment and gender-based in the workplace in Zimbabwe 2021-2025 was launched during 16-day commemorations in 2021. The Training manual for workplace policy development and programme implementation on violence and harassment (including SGBV) was launched in 2023.
The Research on Women and Girls living on the Street’s Access To Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Services in Zimbabwe was also launched in 2021 while the Standard Operating Procedures on investigating sexual gender-based violence cases was also launched in the same year.
Mrs. Nester Mukwehwa, the Executive Director of the Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ), said the private sector can do a number of initiatives under the Spotlight Initiative.
“There are a number of initiatives that the private sector can do to carry the work started by the Spotlight project. Policy reviews should include GBV. The private sector can embark on education and awareness campaigns. It can advocate for the domestication and Ratification of Convention 190 on the Abolition of violence and harassment. There is a need for the inclusion of GBV on Occupational Safety and Health issues in the workplace. Tied with this, the creation of Gender Focal persons at the workplace, and empowerment of women can come in handy,” Mrs. Mukwehwa said