Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare
Herald Reporter
OVER 1 000 gender-based violence (GBV) survivors, mostly women and children from rural communities, have received birth certificates and national identity documents through the Government’s Mobile One-Stop Centres (MOSCs), which bring key survivor services under one roof.
Since January, pilot centres in Manicaland, Mashonaland West and Matabeleland South provinces have assisted 5 700 people.
These include 223 legal aid cases, over 1 600 civil registration documents, 600 counselling sessions and 1 300 sexual and reproductive health services, many accessed for the first time by survivors.
Officials said civil registration, particularly the issuance of birth certificates and IDs, has been among the most critical interventions, as lack of documentation had long denied survivors access to justice, education and social protection.
Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, and Small and Medium Enterprise Development provincial development officer for Mashonaland East, Mr Tendai Nyamadzawo, said the scale of GBV in rural communities underscored the urgency of expanding MOSCs.
Every district in the province, he noted, was recording at least 20 cases monthly, with more going unreported due to cultural and religious beliefs.
“In Goromonzi district, settlements such as Caledonia and Solomio are registering high cases of GBV,” he said.
“Mining areas in Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe, Mutoko and Mudzi districts are also among the hotspot areas where infidelity, improper use of funds and drug abuse by illegal miners are rampant. Other GBV hotspot areas include apostolic sector pockets, where child marriages continue taking place and girls are undocumented and giving birth at the shrines.”
Zimbabwe Gender Commission chairperson Mrs Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe said access to documents was a key breakthrough in empowering survivors.
“Without birth certificates, survivors cannot access school, health or social protection services. This initiative is giving women and children a new start in life,” she said.
Pamuhacha director Ms Precious Nyamukondiwa, whose organisation is offering counselling and psychosocial support under the programme, said the centres were already changing mindsets in rural communities.
“Many survivors had normalised abuse because help seemed distant. With the MOSCs, women and girls now have the confidence to report, to heal and to reclaim their dignity,” she said.
Traditional leaders in Mutoko said the programme would complement cultural reforms already underway in villages to protect girls from early marriage.
“Culture must protect, not destroy. The MOSC strengthens our efforts by bringing services right to the community.”
Female village heads echoed that sentiment, pledging to remain at the forefront of reporting and preventing cases,” said Chief Chimoyo.
Mrs Fungisai Kamudyariwa, Sabhuku Mangori, said: “We are on the frontline of fighting child marriages. Every parent here now knows that if a girl is withdrawn from school for marriage, it will be reported immediately.”
Mrs Beulah Gwati, Sabhuku Chapeyama, added: “Our duty as leaders is to safeguard children. The sooner cases are reported, the safer our girls will be — and MOSCs give us that support system.”
The initiative is being implemented with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Judith Neilson Foundation and local partners.
UNDP resident representative Dr Ayodele Odusola, represented by Ms Tafadzwa Muvingi, said the model was breaking cycles of abuse.
“This is not just about response; it is about prevention. The MOSCs are restoring dignity and inclusion while ensuring survivors have access to opportunities for a better future,” he said.
Online Reporter