Poverty major cause of child marriages as 60 percent of Zimbabwe’s households are headed by children

On education awareness in prisons – the Ministry is aware of the gap that exists on carrying out gender based violence awareness campaigns in correctional facilities and plans are underway to address the issue.  However, the Ministry managed to carry out a social empowerment visit at the Chikurubi Female Prison as we commemorated the International Women’s Day and this exercise will be done every year.  This visit focused on women economic empowerment through various projects such as market gardening, crotchet making and poultry, just to mention a few.  Through the sensitisation, the female inmates were equipped with adequate information on economically empowering themselves for life after prison.  This intervention can be evidenced in the programme dubbed ‘Another Chance’ by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.

Mr. President Sir, the Ministry carried out gender based violence awareness campaigns in various communities, schools and tertiary institutions.  Through the Inter-Ministerial Committee which the Ministry is part of, a school based programme was developed and some of the activities planned under the school based programme include establishment/resuscitation of gender clubs, branding of school accessories with messages on rape and sexual abuse, training of teachers to become gender based violence champions in fighting child sexual abuse through debate, essay and drama competitions on rape and sexual abuse and blitz messages on rape and sexual abuse during assembly and other school activities.

We hope to emulate such efforts through the Inter-Ministerial Committee towards female inmates and this exercise has brought about the issue which we called ‘third party reporting’.  A child is abused at home and they are so scared to face their family because suppose it is the father who is the perpetrator, the mother would say if you report, who is going to look after us and all that type of scenario.  But saying it at school and the peer groups, what happens is then that the third party member goes to report to the police.  Then round about the perpetrator – be it the father, uncle or brother is apprehended.

Mr. President Sir, in partnership with SAYWHAT, an organisation working with students and youths in tertiary institutions, tertiary institutions have launched an Anti-Gender Based Violence campaign in tertiary institutions.  The objective of the campaign is to educate young people on the forms of gender based violence in tertiary institutions and how students can access help on related matters.   In addition, the Ministry has also partnered with Mai Chisamba Show on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZTV) in establishing open debate on topical issues related to gender based violence.  Padare is a men’s forum only and it addresses the involvement of boys and men in addressing gender based violence related issues.  We found out that through Padare, you get honourary men who will stand by the issues but not look at their given body structure.

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