admin
Vaidah Mashangwa
As the world commemorates 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence from November 25 to December 10, there is a need to look at the various ways of mitigating violence against women and girls.
The policies programmes and awareness campaigns are in place but why the continued violence against women and girls?
Globally, one in three women reports having experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives usually perpetuated by an intimate partner. Researchers, governments, women rights organisations and activists have documented how power relations and gender inequality create a conducive environment for men to perpetrate violence against women and girls.
At times gender based violence is used as a way to ensure that women and girls conform to certain gender stereotypes. A good example being that men paid lobola, hence a married woman should never say no to sex when the husbands say so. Or men can beat their wives for non-conformity to given instructions.
Violence against women and girls heightens too during displacement, war and unrest. At home violence also increases when a husband is unemployed or if the family is facing financial constraints. Even if the wife is working, violence increases during such a time.
While legislation that criminalises violence against women and girls is in place, the implementation of these policies is not adequately supported by investment in the services to mitigate violence such as capacity building and public campaigns to effectively prevent violence against women and girls. The budgetary allocations of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development are also very low to effectively carry out the activities outlined in the gender-based violence strategy though there is partnership and coordination among the gender-based violence service providers.
Home and public spaces have to be safe for women and girls. There is also need to ensure that safe shelters are constructed for the purpose of sheltering victims of gender-based violence. There is need to ensure that women have access to justice as well.
Apart from that, policy makers, traditional and church leaders and other community leaders ought to ensure that they conduct dialogues within their communities to ensure that they change people’s attitudes and perceptions about gender-based violence.
There is a need for serious intervention by the police at all levels as well as high level leadership in government to ensure that cases of gender-based violence are dealt with earnestly and fairly by the justice delivery system. There has been an outcry by the public in perpetrators who are asked to perform community service instead of serving jail terms. Leniency in custodial sentencing should not be an option in dealing with issues of gender-based violence. The physical, psychological-emotional damage to the victim is immeasurable.
The other inhibiting factor to eradicating gender-based violence is the low representation of women in politics and, by extension, the policy making processes. In 2014 globally the representation of women in politics stood close to 22 percent. Though this shows an upward trend from the 2000 figure of 14 percent the representation of women in governance is far too low. Women are also still ill-represented in executive positions in governments and other public spheres.
In Zimbabwe the use of quotas for reserved seats has greatly assisted in the upward movement of women into political offices but still the women remain the minority.
Parity in political offices in essential in ensuring democracy and or a justice society. This will also ensure that women present their own interest to the political fore. According to UN Women there is an abundance of evidence that a critical mass of women in decision making forums triggers a shift in women’s priorities and concerns.
The use of women’s caucuses to coordinate their activities and concerns is well appreciated in a number of nations including Zimbabwe. In addition, the introduction of standing committees on women’s rights and equal opportunities is also a welcome move.
When women’s voices are increased it means that more resources are likely to be channeled towards their empowerment, child health, nutrition, access to employment and other services thereby reducing cases of violence in the home.
Women’s concerns, including violence, cannot be presented by men effectively because men are the perpetrators and their link with other relevant women’s groups might be weak or missing.
Women can be free from continuous violence if their resource base is enlarged, when they have decent standards of living, when they leave their lives with dignity and respect and when they participate on equal terms with men in all issues that affect their lives.
The long term vision for ensuring women have a life free of violence is to ensure discriminatory norms and gender stereotypes are dealt with and the equitable redistribution of resources between men and women including land, water and conservatives, among others.
Women also need constant training on their rights and also to provide platforms where they discuss and share their life experiences.
There is also a need to improve and increase child care services so that they have time to engage in community dialogue and debates including debates on gender-based violence. Some child-care centers in Zimbabwe charge prohibitive fees that most women and families can hardly afford.
There is a dire need to regulate these fees.
Social protection and social services must not be gender mainstreamed only but ought to be redesigned with women’s right at heart.
Macroeconomic policies must also be gender sensitive so that men and women take part in socio-economic and political development initiatives.
An empowered woman is less susceptible to gender-based violence.
When women are subjected to violence it means they will participate less in productive work and their employment opportunities decrease. This increases their poverty levels and the possibilities of homelessness, disability, death and psychological damage. Peace begins from home to the community. The national launch of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence is now scheduled for December 16 at the Large City Hall in
Bulawayo. Everyone is welcome to the event.
Vaidah Mashangwa is the Provincial Development Officer for Bulawayo, Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development. She can be contacted on +263 772111592 and email: [email protected]
Online Reporter