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Tendai Rupapa
Senior Reporter
Zimbabweans are now reaping benefits from the recently established national call centre — the 575 hotline for survivors and victims of sexual and gender-based violence — with stakeholders giving First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa the thumbs up for her vision.
The helpline is a brainchild of Amai Mnangagwa and is also housed at her offices.
Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni described the establishment of the toll-free number as a milestone in the fight against inhuman acts perpetrated by mostly men towards defenceless women and girls.
This comes as the Permanent Secretary for Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mr Simon Masanga has described the move as a reflection of the mother of the nation’s passion for all children.
Minister Nyoni said the national call centre came at a time when there were increased numbers of GBV cases across the country due to national lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“This innovative and historic hotline, 575, is meant for reporting cases of gender based violence in both rural and urban areas in Zimbabwe. This should be done despite the status, social position or gender of the perpetrator.
“This platform is significant as it is aiding the realisation of one of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) target, of increasing care and protection of vulnerable groups.
“This important initiative is critical for GBV prevention, protection of survivors, enabling participation by the nation at large and improve programming aimed at addressing violence against women and girls.
“This is an act of ingenuity and expression of motherly love for human life and we thank the First Lady for launching the hotline,” she said.
The hotline, Minister Nyoni said, offered safe and confidential reporting and urged the nation to report any cases of GBV through the number.
“My ministry, through its provincial and district structures will ensure that all reported cases are recorded and shared with relevant partners to help the victims so as to save lives. Due diligence will be made to ensure that the whistle-blowers and victims of GBV are protected and treated with dignity.
“To complement this service, the ministry has already established seven one-stop-centres. Mobile one-stop-centres and shelters have also been established for provision of services for hard to reach areas. Partnerships with civil society and development partners have been established to upscale the provision of services to survivors of GBV.”
Minister Nyoni said her ministry had developed policy documents including establishing referral pathways to guide survivors and stakeholders on interventions and services available for the reported cases.
Mr Masanga said the hotline, 575, was also meant for reporting cases of child abuse and violence in both rural and urban areas in Zimbabwe and came at a time when there was increased need for intensifying identification of child abuse and sexual violence cases given the limitations that Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have brought.
“This in itself is significant as we move towards the realisation of our National Development Strategy 1, of increasing care and protection of vulnerable groups. It is a clarion call to provide preventive and quick responsive measures to addressing violence against children and as the Ministry responsible for administering the Children’s Act we welcome this initiative and thank the First Lady for launching the Hotline.
“The hotline offers safe and confidential reporting and we urge the nation to report any cases of child abuse though the hotline 575.
“The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, through its decentralised social development structures will ensure that all reported cases are treated with the urgency they deserve.
“This will be done though a multi-sectoral approach at all levels. For those who report cases, their identity will not be revealed and all cases will be treated with strict confidence,” he said.
To complement this service, Mr Masanga said his ministry implemented a number of social protection interventions to assist survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
“Linkages with other non-state actors who provide social protection services have been established. Places of safety are also available to those children who are survivors of abuse and may not be able to continue staying at their places of residence where abuse occurred,” he said.
The National Gender Based Violence Call Centre is helping unravel cases of child abuse and violence that are rearing their ugly head in communities amid reports that the cases it had handled involved men, women and children as victims meaning GBV affected everyone.
In one of the received calls according to the 575 agents, an elderly lady from Sizinda, Bulawayo, voiced concern over a woman who was in the habit of leaving her two children, a one-year-old and a three-year-old, locked inside the house unattended while dancing the night away in bars.
The elderly lady furnished the call centre with the address of where this was taking place and in turn the 575 agents alerted the Department of Social Welfare.
Investigations by social workers in Bulawayo established that the report was factual, resulting in the children being taken in by the Department of Social Welfare last Wednesday.
Also among the received calls, the call centre handled a case involving a woman from Kuwadzana, Harare, who reported that she was being forced by her husband to sell drugs adding that her husband has been in this business for a long time.
The woman said she is subjected to physical violence whenever she refuses to sell the drugs.
The 575 agents swiftly connected the woman to police Victim Friendly Unit.
The matter is now being handled by the police.
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