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Blessings Chidakwa

Herald Reporter

The fight by the Second Republic for effective action to ending violence against women has been recognised by Zimbabwe winning a prestigious global award.

Zimbabwe won the Fortitude Award at the Global Learning Symposium held last month in Cancún, Mexico, after local champions including village heads from across the country mobilised through the Spotlight Initiative Country Programme.

The Fortitude Award recognises unforeseen and unpredictable circumstances that Spotlight Initiative faced, the resolve, determination, and resilience demonstrated to ensure that the work on eliminating violence against women and girls work continued.

The United Nations Zimbabwe said the Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative was implemented at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when the country was already grappling with the aftermath of Cyclone Idai and socio-economic issues among other challenges.

It further said innovative approaches such as the online #WithHer campaign, virtual advocacy and community engagement promoting an end to violence against women and girls, brought together champions from, Government, civil society, business sectors, women movements, media, artists, youth groups, ordinary citizens and even the local diplomatic corps.

The UN said President Mnangagwa’s political will has seen the Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative country programme recording significant gains including the High-Level Political Compact on Gender-Based Violence which he signed in October 2021.

“It demonstrates a high-level political commitment to end violence against women and girls as well as harmful practices including child marriages. Laws and policies that protect women and girls from violence and abuse have also been put in place.

“The Marriages Act was passed while the Constitutional Court ruled to raise the legal age of sexual consent from 16 to 18 years in May 2022. This will protect young girls from the brunt of child marriages resulting from harmful religious, social, and cultural practices,” reads the statement.

The Marriages Act, amalgamating all Zimbabwean marriage law, raises the minimum legal age of marriage to 18, demands that both adults give their free consent, and imposes jail terms on those who force people to marry or plot to allow a marriage with someone under 18. 

The UN said at the moment Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative programme has reached over five million beneficiaries exceeding the targeted two million.

“Zimbabwe received US$30 million from European Union as one of 22 countries implementing €500 million global joint UN-EU Spotlight Initiative to end violence against women and girls.

“The programme has been implemented by UN in collaboration with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and SME Development, the Civil Society Reference Group and many other partners across the country,” reads the statement.

The programme directly and indirectly targets beneficiaries particularly rural women and girls, women and girls living with disabilities, and women living with HIV.

“Gender-based violence and harmful practices, such as child marriages, continue to be a huge societal problem. They affect women and girls of different socio-economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds and hinder their ability to have a voice, choice, and control over their own lives,” reads the statement.

One of the champions, headman Shiku of Runde Rural District Council, said: “It pains us to see young girls being married off at a tender age. Girls should reach the legal age of consent of 18 years and must of their free will agree to get married.”

 The headman is one of the many gender champions who have been engaged through the joint UN-EU Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls.

Headman Shiku made the remarks recently while welcoming the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mr Edward Kallon and Government officials to his homestead.