IN a move that is set to empower males to speak out and act against intimate partner violence in the homes and relationship settings, Population Solutions for Health (PSH) has taken the Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign to rural and marginalised communities in Zimbabwe.
By Michael Gwarisa in Bindura
The Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign is a two-year program that is implemented by Population Service International (PSI) through their partner Population Solutions for Health (PSH) with funding support from the Swedish Embassy. The campaign which started off as a mass media blitz last year, has now penetrated communities where they are conducting face to face dialogues or “Guy Talks” with men with the aim of raising awareness around Gender Based Violence (GBV) and all forms of violence against women and girls.
In an interview on the side-lines of a field visit at Kambira Secondary School in Bindura, Kumbirai Chatora, Director- Social Marketing at Population Solutions for Health said the Guy Talks were community driven movements and safe spaces for men to talk to each other on how to stop violence in the home.
As you know, the home is the most dangerous place for women because this is where most violence happens, and we are trying to address that. We have noted that most programs are talking to GBV survivors which is good, but no one is talking to men, so we decided to focus our attention on male perpetrators and men in the communities.
“We are conducting Guy Talks in the communities to provide safe spaces for men to discuss the triggers of violence in relationships and what they can do to avoid such situations.” said Chatora.
During the field visit, the community participated in a Guy Talk session, Love Shouldn’t Hurt soccer and netball tournaments and a live performance from Zim dancehall artiste, Sylvester Chizanga or Freeman who is also a Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign a champion, born in Bindura Chipadze area with his rural home in Madziwa, Mash Central.
To amplify the campaign, PSH is collaborating with community celebrities that resonate with the target audience.
“We want to create a movement of men who are against Gender Based Violence (GBV). We collaborate with artistes who have created jingles on Love Shouldn’t Hurt.
During our research, we noted that men use violence to discipline their wives as a form of love. We are reframing that to say Love should not hurt. In the heat of the moment, we encourage men to step back, take a deep breath and walk away.”
The Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign is being piloted in four districts, Bindura in Mashonaland Central, Mangwe in Matabeleland South, Makokoba in Bulawayo and Mbare in Harare.
PSH implements the campaign in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender, Community Development Small and Medium Enterprises. Elizabeth Nkoma, the District Development Officer for Bindura under the Ministry of Women Affairs said the Love Shouldn’t Hurt Campaign is complementing their efforts through allocating resources needed to implement the program in the selected districts.
She said they were already getting testimonies of how the program has been effective in the communities as survivors of GBV were now using existing referral pathways and reporting abuse on time. She added that communities were appreciating the use of artistes and games to convey the Love Shouldn’t Hurt message.
Doreen Makaza, the Community Development Coordinator for Ward 4 rural under the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender, Community Development Small and Medium Enterprises concurred with her counterpart adding that “PSH has trained Interpersonal Communication (IPC) cadres who conduct one on one discussions on intimate partner violence in the fourteen villages in our ward’.
Meanwhile, Kudakwashe Chambwera (22) from Chimombe Farm in Bindura applauded the Love Shouldn’t Hurt program saying, “I attended my first Guy Talk dialogue today and I can say I have learnt a lot. I have learnt that Love Shouldn’t Hurt and hitting or saying hurtful words to one’s loved one is not a sign of love.”
The Love Shouldn’t Hurt Campaign is being implemented in four wards in Bindura namely, Ward 4, where Kambira is, Ward 3 in Matepatepa, Ward 7, Chiwaridzo Farm and Ward 9 in Chireka.
