By Edinah Masiyiwa
During the final weeks of 2024, two events made me think deeply about gender-based violence and what more we can do in 2025 to address it.
The first was a film screening organized by the British Embassy titled India’s Daughter. The film tells the story of Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old medical student who was brutally assaulted by a group of men on a minibus while returning home from watching a movie. She succumbed to her injuries a few days later. As the film played, the room was silent. Some, including myself, shed tears.
What struck me most were the comments from senior government officials in India interviewed for the film. They argued that Jyoti had brought the attack upon herself by going out at night, claiming that women should not be outside after dark. My heart sank as I grappled with the question: How can we truly eradicate gender-based violence if such attitudes persist among people in positions of power?
The second event was hosted by Musasa, a Zimbabwean women’s rights organization focusing on violence against women. During this gathering, attendees heard harrowing stories of women who lost their lives to violence inflicted by male partners. Participants pledged to take action to stop violence against women.
These two events underscored how gender-based violence is a global issue. The most common forms of violence faced by women are intimate partner violence and sexual violence. According to estimates published by the World Health Organization (WHO), about one in three women globally (30%) have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner violence in their lifetime. Additionally, the WHO reports that as many as 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners. Beyond this, 6% of women worldwide report being sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner.
Intimate partner and sexual violence are predominantly perpetrated by men against women.
Every woman should have bodily autonomy and integrity, the freedom to make decisions about her own body. Unfortunately, violence often strips women and girls of this autonomy, preventing them from fully enjoying their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Women face gender-discriminatory social norms that subject their bodies to decisions made by others, from intimate partners to legislators. Without control over their bodies, bodily autonomy remains an elusive dream.
This lack of control is evident in the high rates of sexual violence and early marriages—or rather, rape disguised as marriage. A report by World Vision highlights child marriage as a leading form of sexual violence in Zimbabwe, threatening the development and well-being of young girls. Although Zimbabwe’s legal marriage age was recently raised to 18 for both parties, early marriages persist, normalizing sexual violence in the process.
Reflecting on these issues, it feels as though our interventions against gender-based violence are falling short. Despite the resources allocated to information, education, communication materials, and high-level meetings on violence against women, these efforts seem insufficient. Are we employing the right strategies?
For example, while the law criminalizes sex with anyone under 18, young girls continue to fall pregnant. Where are the men responsible for impregnating these girls? Society shields them from the consequences of their actions. Meanwhile, 55% of unintended pregnancies among adolescent girls aged 15–19 end in abortions, which are often unsafe in low- and middle-income countries.
Are we doing enough to stop sexual abuse? Are our strategies effective? And what happens to the unplanned pregnancies that result?
As we begin this new year, I urge every individual to reflect on how we can prevent violence in our communities. I call on all Zimbabweans to take decisive steps to stop violence against women, particularly the sexual violence embedded in child marriages. Society must actively engage with messages on gender-based violence.
Additionally, girls under 18 should have access to safe termination of pregnancies resulting from rape. Zimbabwean law allows for abortion in cases of rape, yet this option remains inaccessible to many. Strong punitive measures must be implemented and enforced against those who rape young girls under the guise of “marriage.”
