Gender Activism

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Gender Based Violence

In Zimbabwe and many other African countries, gender based violence (GBV) against women remains the most detriment to women’s advancement in both corporate and social circles.

 While violation of women in various forms are ‘acceptable’ and accepted for centuries, very little has been done to help the victim. Culture and what is called ‘Norms’ to our communities have relegated women to second class citizens.

During the sixteen days of activism emphasis will be placed on GBV awareness and victim rehabilitation. We are advocating for societal change of attitude towards both victim and pepertrator of GBV.

Major Contributors to GBV

Cultural Initiations

This is a cultural norm widely accepted and even glorified in the communities they are practiced. This is an intrusive violation to the woman's body to make her sexual appealing to men. Involves the deformation of the libia majora, nose or lips and sometimes even loosing one front teeth.

Forced Marriages

This kind of violation is widely accepted in some religious circles in Zimbabwe and other countries in Africa. Religious women are submissive believing this to be a divine call. In certain circumstances rape is even tolerated being believed to be one of the many ways of courtship. Once raped, a woman has no option but to get married to the offender.

Workplace Violations

Verbal and physical abuse of women is very prevalent in many workplaces. Many victims are not aware of these violations because of disadvantaged positions economically, women endure sexual molestations at work in order to keep their jobs.

Traditional Moral Policing

Traditional views about dressing and moral issues have resulted in self styled activists taking the law into their hands and physically abusing women. Others have even been raped in the process as they got punished for improper dressing or immoral public behavior.Perpetrators of this kind of violence have gone unpunished. Some women are burnt to ashes accused of being witches. No cases of men being witches have been recorded so it is women that bear the brunt

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How do we handle GBV related incidences

It’s time to say no to these abuses. Society must take the lead in educating all and sundry about the detrimental effects of violence against women.

As champions of GBV activism, we are there to rehabilitate GBV victims. Victims fall into several categories.

  • Women or girl child who has been violated
  • Children or depends of the victim
  • Spouse of the victim
  • Immediate family members of the victim.
Our concern is mainly the woman or girl child who has been violated. We help by
  • Providing shelter and food in the interim. Most women and girl children victims find themselves without basics soon after being violated. It is our aim to make this period as comfortable as possible.
  • Providing counseling services. The healing process can be difficult without professional help. We have counselors and care givers waiting just to help through transitional period.
  • Skills provisions. To prevent recurrence of these incidences we arm victims with self reliance skills such as garment making, market gardening skills, small animal husbandry etc.

It is our hope that by making victims self reliant they extricate themselves from toxic relationships and jobs that expose them to constant violations