By Garikai Chikuvira

Marondera – The Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) marked its 10th anniversary last Wednesday with the provincial’s gender forum taking stock of its highlights and achievements.

Held at Marondera Country Club themed: Reflecting on Achievements and the Future for Gender Equality the day saw participants reflect on the journey so far walked especially on issues to do with gender based violence (GBV).

During the forum, stakeholders and the audience debated ways to stop GBV. One elderly participant shared her concerns about the younger generation’s attitude towards GBV.

“Ama 2000 (the younger generation) havadzoreke; they hardly listen and compare these current times of technology to our ancient times, saying we are outdated and that is where the problem lies,” she said.

ZGC Chairperson Mukahanana Sangarwe highlighted the significance of the provincial gender forums.
“Provincial gender forums are being held across all provinces and are a critical precursor to our national gender forum, a statutory requirement as spelled out in Section 8(1) of the ZGC Act [Chapter 10:31],” he explained.

He elaborated on the objectives of the forum, stating that they want to reflect on and take stock of the ZGC’s achievements and lessons learned since its inception in September 2015 and identify emerging and future priorities for gender equality, and amplify voices from communities and stake-holders in Zimbabwe.

He added that they also want to catalyse action-oriented dialogue on innovative, inclusive, and sus-tainable strategies to accelerate gender equality.

He also clarified the concept of the ‘House of Gender Equality,’ emphasising that it is not merely a physical structure.

“The House of Gender Equality is not just a building but a powerful symbol that shows gender equality is not a temporary initiative but a national priority, etched in stone and steel. With this per-manent home, we lay the institutional foundation for sustainable gender action,” he explained.
Vice Chairperson of ZGC, Obert Machalaga, highlighted another objective of the forum: engaging with the public on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) issues.

“The objectives of this forum are to receive the public’s response and conduct research related to Gender-Based Violence, as well as guide the public’s steps to take when dealing with GBV-related cases,” Machalaga said.

Provincial Minister Itayi Ndudzo, in his opening remarks, congratulated the ZGC on its decade-long commitment to promoting gender equality.
He acknowledged the Commission’s commitment to fulfilling its constitutional mandate and com-mended its dedication to advancing gender equality across the nation.

“As we reflect on the ZGC, we acknowledge the strides that have been made in our province and across Zimbabwe to promote gender equality,” he said.