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Own Correspondent
Cases of Gender-Based Violence are on the increase in Wedza district with women and girls being among the major victims amid calls by stakeholders for interventions aimed at stopping the vice.
During an interface meeting organized by the Wedza Rural Development Initiative Trust (WERDIT) recently, the Wedza District Coordinator for the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Luckison Magebuza revealed that GBV cases in the district increased by 70% between 2020 and 2021.
According to Magebuza, 90% of the reported cases involved women as victims.
He said that statistics from the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services revealed that Mashonaland East Province has the highest number of inmates incarcerated on cases linked to domestic violence.
“This is a worrying trend that we continue to witness in Wedza district and Mashonaland East as a province and there is a need for a concerted approach in ensuring that we fight gender-based violence. We commend development partners such as WERDIT who continue to create platforms for discussion of issues such as gender-based violence so that we can come up with an all stakeholders approach in addressing this,” said Magebuza.
The meeting sought to provide a platform for state and non -state actors to make an audit of the efforts made in fighting GBV in Wedza district in 2021, as well as other violations against women. It was part of WERDIT’s ongoing Peace Building and Conflict Management programme in Wedza district.
It was also revealed during the meeting that in 2021, there were 150 reported cases of child abuse in Wedza district, with the majority of the victims being girls.
The forms of abuse include physical abuse, neglect, and child marriages.
It came out during the interface meeting that some of the causes of child abuse include poverty, religious and bad cultural practices.
In light of this challenge, WERDIT director, George Makoni called for the timely intervention of the relevant law enforcement agents and responsible state actors.
“As WERDIT, we are greatly concerned over the spike in cases of Gender-Based Violence in Wedza district and Mashonaland East province at large. As part of efforts to fight Gender Based Violence, we have partnered with different stakeholders including state actors and civil society so that there is a concerted approach in fighting gender-based violence.
“We are also seeking to come up with income-generating projects for women so that they are empowered economically. We will also be encouraging and empowering women within the district to take up leadership positions and participate in development projects within the district,” said Makoni.
He said WERDIT had also lobbied authorities to establish safe houses for victims of Gender-Based Violence.
WERDIT has also partnered with traditional leaders in the fight against gender-based violence.
