Harare (New Ziana) – The Zimbabwe government has put in place effective legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV), a Cabinet Minister has said.
Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said this on Friday during the launch of the national strategy document on preventing and addressing GBV.
The strategic document, which runs from 2023 to 2030, provides a guiding framework for the national response to GBV in the country.
It also sets out priority areas as well as specific actions and strategies for the government and society to apply to prevent and respond to GBV in general, and violence against women and girls in particular.
Mutsvangwa said laws such as the Domestic Violence Act continue to work to protect all victims of the abhorrent behaviour.
“The government has also activated the institutional machinery through the establishment of a robust multi-sectoral gender mechanism, spearheaded by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
“Key institutions such as the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, Anti-Domestic Violence Council and other institutions and structures promoting gender equality are critical and we shall strive to ensure that these institutions are adequately resourced and operationalized to serve their purpose,” she said.
She said the country’s Constitution provides a solid point of reference for advancing gender equality and elimination of GBV, and one of its founding principles is gender equality.
Mutsvangwa congratulated stakeholders who have been involved in the development of the strategy, which she said will greatly enhance the multi-sectoral coordination in preventing and responding to GBV, as well as promoting gender equality in the country.
“I am impressed by the collaborations, partnerships and tremendous work you have all been doing in various spaces towards GBV prevention and response, and I am confident that the momentum is up-scaled going forward.
“Government acknowledges and expresses gratitude to the contribution of civil society organisations in our gender based violence prevention and response efforts. It is also my strong belief that as we continue to address this scourge effectively, it is critical to address the root causes in particular issues of economic empowerment of women as lack of it increases women and girls’ vulnerability,” she said.
She said the National Development Strategy (NDS) 1 recognizes gender mainstreaming in all sectors of the economy as an essential tool “to eliminate all negative economic, social and harmful practices that impede equality of the sexes”.
This, she said, is key to achieving the national vision of attaining an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
“My clarion call is for us to play our part and continue to serve the people of Zimbabwe. To our donors, we look forward to continued partnerships as we implement the Strategy. My Ministry will continue to lobby Treasury for increased allocation of resources to implement this Strategy,” she said.
Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating 16 Days of Activism against GBV from 25 November to 10 December this year, which ran under the global theme “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls”.
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