Online Reporter
Muchaneta Chimuka
THE Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe has called for strengthened governance and coordination mechanisms that support and promote girl child empowerment, following an assessment of their vulnerability in various aspects of life.
Speaking at the launch of the first-ever ‘Girl Child Cluster in Harare yesterday, Mrs Muchanyara Cythia Mukamuri, the National Chairperson for WCoz, said across the globe, the girl child faces many challenges as compared to their male counterparts, hence they need the utmost support.
“Whether living through conflict or climate disaster, girls tend to be hit harder than boys. It is the girl child who suffers the most. They need decent housing, sanitary wear, and chances of being sexually exploited during disaster situations are high. We have several Junior members of Parliament who are girls, and they need moral, mental, and psychological support to prosper.
She said the Girl Child Cluster is the 11th pillar under their organisation, whose goal is to ensure that girls and young women operate in safe environments.
Mrs Lydia Madyirapanze, the Executive Director for the Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe (FAWEZI), said young women remain critically unrecognised and underfunded, and their leadership roles remain in crisis response, yet they are the first responders in disaster- affected communities.
“Women and girls provide life-saving care and build resilience because of their proximity and experience and they need to be supported wholly to reach their full potential through providing quality education. Let’s keep our girls in school to reduce cases of child marriages,” she said.
UNICEF Technical Specialist for Gender, Gender Based Violence and Humanitarian Response Mrs Janneke Bienert said girls should be put on the frontline for gender equality and hope.
“As UNICEF, we believe in the power of girls and young people to change the world and bring purposeful global initiatives and to ensure that resources reach young women and bring meaningful change in communities,” she said.
Reverend Taylor Nyanhete, the Executive Director for the Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children, said that since the girl child is being empowered, the boy child should be incorporated to reduce incidences of sexual abuse, child marriages and physical abuse among other social ills.
“Society is made up of women and men; hence they should be included in every programme to reduce gender-based violence in our country. It is the boy child that is often accused of abusing the girls, hence it is high time boys are given education on the dos and don’ts to create conducive environments for our precious girl children,” he said.
Peter Tanyanyiwa