Yesterday the United Nations in Zimbabwe launched a social and outdoor media campaign dubbed “#NoWay! End violence against women and girls”.
The campaign, which will run throughout the month of March, aims to highlight the Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls and facilitate public discourse for action through visual and digital messages.
In addition, the campaign includes animated and static messages in video and electronic format that highlight the fact that ending gender-based violence is everyone’s responsibility.
From 1 March to 31 March 2021, the Spotlight Initiative campaign will be featured on all UN in Zimbabwe social media platforms as part of the effort to make advocacy for women and girl empowerment and the fight against sexual and gender-based violence a yearlong commitment. Other channels such as radio, television and messaging platforms will also be used to amplify the messages of the campaign and ensure widespread sharing among the public.
The Spotlight Initiative, fully funded by the European Union, is a four-year programme targeting directly and indirectly 11 million beneficiaries particularly rural women and girls, women and girls living with disabilities, and women living with HIV.
The Initiative aims to ensure that all women and girls benefit from adequate legislation and policies, gender responsive institutions, violence prevention programmes, essential services, comparable and reliable data, and a strong social movement against violence and harmful practices at the national and sub-national levels.
The Spotlight Initiative, led by the UN Resident Coordinator, is being implemented by six UN Agencies (UN Women, ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA and UNICEF) in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, and civil society organizations.
In Zimbabwe, the latest Demographic Health Survey shows that one in three women between the ages of 15 and 49 experience physical violence in their lifetime, while one in four experience sexual violence. Thus, the concerted effort toward ending violence against women and girls is critical if women and girls are to fully realize their human rights.
