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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Health Reporter

Zimbabwe today joins the world in shining the spotlight on the effects of gender-based violence in communities as it marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

The campaign, which runs from November 25 to December 10, seeks raise awareness of the devastating impact that gender-based violence has on women and children and the social fabric of society.

The theme for this year’s campaign is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”.

Violence against women and girls remains the most pervasive human rights violation around the world. The situation was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic as the prevalence of women facing GBV grew exponentially between 2020 and 2021.

According to statistics, one in every three women aged 15 to 49 in Zimbabwe have experienced physical violence and about 1 in 4 women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.