Online Reporter
The re-operationalisation of the Anti-Domestic Violence Council comes at a critical time for the country, as a disturbing series of fatal domestic violence cases exposes the limitations of a response that is often activated only after lives have been lost.
The deaths of couples and family members in incidents reported in Harare, Mt Darwin, Hatfield and Tsholotsho are a painful reminder that domestic violence has gone beyond being a private family matter to become a serious social crisis demanding sustained institutional intervention.
The call by Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), made in an article published by our sister paper, Sunday News, for the reconstituted council to be urgently and adequately resourced deserves serious attention, as the council’s mandate can only be fulfilled if it is matched by the financial and institutional capacity required to deliver on the ground.
Established under the Domestic Violence Act, the Anti-Domestic Violence Council has a broad mandate that includes coordinating prevention initiatives, raising public awareness, promoting safe houses and advising Government on the national response.
The council’s 12-member composition, bringing together Government, traditional leaders, civil society and faith-based organisations, provides a strong foundation for a coordinated, multi-sectoral response.
However, the council’s effectiveness will ultimately depend on whether it is provided with adequate and predictable funding to support its staffing, programmes, victim-support initiatives, public awareness campaigns, monitoring and coordination functions.
Zimbabwe’s obligations under regional, continental and international instruments reinforce the urgency of moving beyond policy commitments to practical action.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development commits member states to measures aimed at eliminating gender-based violence, including through legislation, prevention, support services and access to justice.
The Protocol recognises that addressing violence requires more than criminalising perpetrators and demands institutional coordination and interventions that challenge the social conditions in which abuse is tolerated.
At continental level, the African Union’s Maputo Protocol, formally the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, obliges states to combat all forms of violence against women, whether occurring in public or private life.
Its provisions on the protection of women from violence and the provision of appropriate remedies place the responsibility on governments to establish effective mechanisms for prevention, protection and redress.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), particularly as interpreted through General Recommendation No. 35, identifies gender-based violence as a form of discrimination and calls for comprehensive measures to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish such acts.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, meanwhile, commits countries to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private spheres.
In this light, these commitments underline that domestic violence is a human rights issue requiring prevention, protection, accountability and adequate investment, rather than episodic condemnation following high-profile deaths.
Zimbabwe has also developed a National Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence for 2023 to 2030, providing a framework for coordinated action.
The priority now, therefore, is to build on existing policies and commitments by ensuring they translate into effective, accessible and well-coordinated services at both national and community levels.
The Anti-Domestic Violence Council must be supported with a dedicated operational budget, trained personnel and a clear system for monitoring the implementation of its mandate.
Its effectiveness should be measured through tangible outcomes, including the availability of safe houses, access to counselling and legal aid, the speed of referrals, public awareness initiatives and the effectiveness of interventions in high-risk cases.
Regular public reporting, as proposed by WLSA, would enable Parliament, civil society and communities to assess progress and identify persistent gaps.
Equally important is the need to strengthen early intervention, as the reported cases, some involving allegations of infidelity, demonstrate the devastating consequences of disputes escalating into violence.
Police, health institutions, social workers and community leaders must have effective referral systems through which threats, intimidation, stalking and previous assaults can be recognised as potential warning signs and addressed before they become fatal.
Traditional and religious leaders also have a critical role to play in challenging attitudes that normalise violence or pressure survivors to remain in abusive relationships in the name of preserving families.
Ubuntu should be expressed through respect for human dignity, protection of vulnerable people and peaceful conflict resolution, not used to silence victims or shield perpetrators from accountability.
The council must also recognise that domestic violence affects children and other family members who may witness abuse, suffer physical harm or experience lasting psychological trauma.
Survivor-centred interventions must therefore include accessible psychosocial support, child protection services, emergency accommodation and economic assistance, particularly for people whose financial dependence makes it difficult to leave abusive households.
