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Health Reporter

Gender-based violence needs to be prevented with multiple and coordinated approaches in Zimbabwe to reduce the risk, especially to women with one in two Zimbabwean reporting that they have been assaulted by current or former partners.

Speaking at the launch of the “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” campaign by Population Solutions for Health and the Swedish Embassy, Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Jennifer Mhlanga said prevention played a central role in efforts to eradicate and remove the root causes of gender-based violence.

“It’s critical that all partners put in as much effort towards the GBV response, and have a strongly coordinated and effective multi-sectoral approach into GBV prevention. Interventions that engage young people and human rights activism can make an important contribution to such preventative work,” she said.

The World Health Organisation says GBV takes many forms that comprises not only rape and attempted rape but also sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, forced early marriage, domestic violence, marital rape, trafficking and female genital mutilation which can lead to serious consequences on physical and psychological health and social well-being.

According to the current Zimbabwe demographic health survey, 35 percent of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence since age 15 while 14 percent of women aged in the same age group have experienced sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.

She said the commemoration was a time to galvanise action to end violence against women and girls and called on all stakeholders to amplify the call for a violence-free community.

Swedish Embassy deputy head of mission Professor Berhollet Kaboru said the anti-GBV campaign should teach people  to protect women.

“This clearly shows that engaging men and boys to change their behaviour remains a key component of the GBV response. We need men to be in the forefront of creating and maintaining this dialogue to help perpetrators of violence to adopt positive conflict resolution and anger management skills,” he said.