Nhau News Online News that is accurate, reliable, trustworthy!!
Stakeholders in the fight and prevention of intimate partner and gender based violence (GBV) from around Mashonaland Central province converged in Domboshawa last week to map a way forward towards eradicating the practice in Shamva district.
GBV has been identified as rampant in Shamva compared to other districts across the province.
The meeting was convened by the National AIDS Council (NAC) and attended by stakeholders from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), ZRP’s Victim Friendly Unit (VFU), officials from the ministries of Health and Women Affairs as well as the Shamva District Development Coordinator and Chief Bushu.
NAC Provincial Manager, Edgar Muzulu attributed the widespread GBV in Shamva to a number of factors amongst them patriarchal, social norms and gender inequalities.
He said the district had to do away with practices that disadvantaged women such as wife inheritance, pledging and shopping.
He encouraged authorities within the district to protect women and deal with such issues by all means necessary.
“The plight of women and girls under these circumstances must not be overlooked. They need our protection at all costs. All forms of abuse against them must be stopped.”
Muzulu also mentioned that even men were being subjected to abuse by their partners, a vice that could not be left going out of hand.
“Men are also being subjected to abuse and their calls should never be ignored as they are also human and need our protection.”
Chief Bushu concurred with Muzulu and said he had already established by-laws that clearly denounce some old traditional practices such as wife inheritance, pledging and child marriages within his community.
“Chiefs Nyamaropa, Madziwa, Mutumba and myself all agreed to implement these by-laws which will go a long way in eradicating all these practices that disadvantaged women and girls.
If one is tried by any one of us and is not satisfied, he has no right to appeal to any other chief amongst ourselves, if he does so he will be penalised again,” he said.
Shamva District Development Coordinator, White Nkoma, said GBV in the district was mainly fueled by empowerment inequalities.
He called on the Ministry of Women Affairs to assist women with information that can help them to access loans at the Women’s Bank and other financial institutions alleging financial dependence on men by their wives was behind gender based violence.
Mr. Nkoma said Vision 2030 will be achievable if violence is eradicated in the district. Nhau/Indaba
