GBV Archives - HealthTimes

Zimbabwe Launches 16 Days Of Activism Against GBV Campaign

November 17, 2023November 17, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to raise awareness around Gender Based Violence (GBV) and to spotlight struggles facing women and girls in reaching their full potential, Zimbabwe has officially launched the 2023 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The launch was organised by the United Nations Population Fund in Zimbabwe (UNFPA-Zimbabwe), as a precursor to the commencement of the official campaign period which kicks off on November 25, marking the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which is an internationally recognised campaign on…

0 Shares

UNDP Facilitates Construction of Low Cost Boarding Facilities To Reduce HIV Vulnerability In Adolescent School Girls

October 11, 2023October 13, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

Following the death of her mother, 15 year old Grace Mwamuka* now stays with her father and two minor siblings. She is from Ndima Village in Chimanimani. Throughout the year 2022, she would walk three hours to and from school daily. By Michael Gwarisa Every morning, she would wake up as early as 4:00 AM to clean the house and prepare food for her young siblings before departing for school. After school, she would rush home to clean the house and prepare dinner. This was taking a toll on her…

0 Shares

Shacking Off GBV: Zimbabwe’s Spotlight Initiative hosts Zumba Session to raise awareness on GBV

May 15, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

THE Spotlight Initiative in Zimbabwe on Saturday, May 13, 2023 hosted a #ShakeOffGBV Zumba Session to remind communities of the harm Gender Based Violence (GBV) poses in as far as blocking women and girls from realizing their full potential. By Michael Gwarisa According to the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, about one in three women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, and about one in four women have experienced sexual violence, since the age of 15. With elections approaching, fears are that more women and girls could…

0 Shares

ZACH Rallies Media to Amplify Voices of Adolescents Girls and women at risk of GBV

March 28, 2023 Michael Gwarisa

NEW HIV infections being recorded in Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in Zimbabwe could be linked to harmful practices such as Gender Based Violence (GBV), Child Marriages and sexual abuse obtaining in the country, the Zimbabwe Association of Church related Hospitals (ZACH) has warned. By Michael Gwarisa UNAIDS data shows that Adolescent Girls and Young Women from sub-Saharan Africa, aged 15-24, remain at substantial risk of acquiring HIV and in 2021, they accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections in 2021 largely due to biological, socio-economic, religious, and…

0 Shares

SASA Project Records Gains from Partnering Chiefs in Ending Sexual and Gender Based Violence against Women and Girls

December 15, 2022December 15, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

WHILE Chiefs have traditionally been blamed for preserving harmful cultural practices that perpetuate abuse of women and girls, the SASA project being implemented by the Zimbabwe Association of Church related Hospitals (ZACH) has managed to rope in chiefs and other traditional leaders as allies in ending Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in communities. By Michael Gwarisa SASA stands for Start Awareness Support Action (SASA) and ZACH is implementing the program in eight hot spot districts (Chimanimani, Mguza, Kwekwe and Umzingwane] plus 4 additional hot spot districts). Speaking during the…

0 Shares

Illicit drug abuse on the rise among Zimbabwean Women

December 12, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

THERE has been an increase in the number of women who use and inject drugs in Zimbabwe over the years owing to a myriad of factors, chief among them being unemployment, poverty among a host of other issues. By Michael Gwarisa This has been revealed by the Final Situation Assessment report of drug use in five provinces to inform HIV and TB programming for people who use drugs. The research was conducted by the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network (ZCLDN), the National AIDS Council (NAC) and the Ministry of…

0 Shares

Love Shouldn’t Hurt Walk/Run sends strong message against GBV and Child Sexual Abuse

November 20, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

WITH the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV) commemorations drawing near, the Population Solutions for Health (PSH), has kick started the campaign with a Walk/Run as a way of raising awareness against GBV and all forms of violence against women and girls. By Michael Gwarisa The Walk/Run also observed Child Marriages which is a form of GBV and represents sexual abuse of young girls below the age of 18 years. The Walk/Run is part of the ongoing Love Shouldn’t Hurt Campaign the PSH launched in 2021 through…

0 Shares

MSF Holds Regional Scientific Day in Zimbabwe

October 25, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

THE Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hosted a half-day regional scientific day in Harare, Zimbabwe where various scientific innovations and researches from MSF’s field programs around the world were presented. By Michael Gwarisa The event was a hybrid setup where delegates attended both virtually and physically in Harare. Giving his Keynote address, Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Group Captain, Dr. Munyaradzi Dobbie, Chief Director Public Health applauded MSF’s interventions in Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector. As government, we are appreciative of MSF’s continued support to Zimbabwe and…

0 Shares

Domestic Violence cases rise in Zimbabwe

September 21, 2022 Healthtimes

There has been an unprecedented rise in domestic violence cases in Zimbabwe. This has impelled the government to formulate and implement reactive laws to address the menace. One such instance has been the crafting of the Zimbabwe Domestic Violence Act (DVA) of 2007. By Own Correspondant Thirty-year-old Sinakaniwe Ndlovu (not real name) still shivers with fear when she thinks of the ill treatment she received at the hands of her husband during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Ndlovu was forced to endure all the abuse in fear of being stigmatized and…

0 Shares

Musasa One Stop Centre Assists 500 GBV Survivors

September 20, 2022September 20, 2022 Michael Gwarisa

THE Hopley One Stop Centre being run by Musasa Project through support from the UNFPA and the ministry of Women Affairs, Community Development, has served a total 500 women and girls who experienced GBV and other forms of violence over the past 10 months. By Michael Gwarisa Hopley has a high incidence of GBV as well as other harmful practices such as Child Marriages and teenage pregnancies which are at 18% respectively while 70% of women in Hopley are mothers by age 24. Speaking during a visit to centre by…

0 Shares