Fight against GBV faces challenges – Mutsvangwa

Harare (New Ziana)- While significant strides have been made in raising awareness, and providing treatment for gender-based violence victims, challenges such as accessing mitigatory services by survivors are still holding back progress, a cabinet minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a luncheon to mark the end of 16 days of activism against GBV organised by the World Bank, Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa said survivors often faced numerous barriers in reaching out for services, starting from family level.

“Furthermore, some harmful cultural practices and norms that perpetuate GBV continue to be a major concern. This calls on us to ensure that the fight against GBV continues to be in a holistic, multi-sectoral approach, one that addresses these deep-seated issues at all levels of society,” she said.

Mutsvangwa said GBV is a multi-faceted problem and no one player can address it.

“There is power in partnerships and we shall continue to strengthen collaborations as we prevent and respond to GBV. Most importantly, we need to ensure adequate funding for comprehensive GBV programming, and it is my plea that we support implementation of the National GBV Strategy,” she said.

She commended the World Bank for the commitment and support in the fight against GBV.

“May I highlight that between December 2022 and April 2023 year, my Ministry, with support from the World Bank, conducted a GBV assessment.

The purpose of the assessment was to provide GBV baseline information on scope, programming, policies and gaps to assist the World Bank in identifying potential entry points for investment.

“This assessment has been instrumental in shedding light on the pervasive issue of Gender-Based Violence in our Country. GBV remains of great concern and its prevalence serves as a reminder that our work is
far from over,” Mutsvangwa said.

“The findings of this assessment contributed immensely towards the development of the National GBV Strategy (2023-2030) which we shall be launching this Friday the 15th of December. This is an example of how much collaboration is pivotal in understanding the scope of GBV in Zimbabwe and identifying the gaps that need our urgent attention,” she said.

She also acknowledged the wider reach, and positive impact, of a social media campaign run by the World Bank during the 16 days against GBV.

“We have a bulging youthful population, who are exposed to GBV in all its forms and the digital campaign has been an opportunity to reach out to them with critical messaging on GBV. My Ministry greatly appreciates the collaborations and partnerships that we have had so far. It is my sincere hope that we continue to walk together as we fight gender-based violence,” she said.

New Ziana