WUNRN
17 September 2007
ZIMBABWE:
Chiefs Fight Violence in the Home
MASVINGO,
17 September 2007 (IRIN) - Traditional leaders in Zimbabwe's Masvingo Province,
in the southeast of the country, are partnering with gender activists in a bid
to curb domestic violence.
"Our
partnership with traditional leaders started when we approached them [for help]
in publicising the Domestic Violence Bill before it was signed into law ...
early this year," said Mabel Sikhosana, Masvingo provincial coordinator of
the Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCZ), an umbrella body for organisations
fighting for the rights of women and girls.
Although
traditional chiefs are generally patriarchal, she told IRIN that activists had
been pleasantly surprised by their commitment and willingness to speak out
against domestic violence, and chiefs in all of the province's seven districts
were actively supporting outreach programmes for the eradication of domestic
violence.
"What
we did was to first hold meetings with traditional chiefs, where we would first
sensitise them about issues to do with domestic violence," Sikhosana
explained. "This is actually a pilot project, but some chiefs who heard
about our work would invite us to come and address their communities on issues
to do with domestic violence, including HIV/AIDS, women's and girls' rights,
and gender equality."
The
project, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), aims
to promote the effective use of legislation in combating domestic violence and
creating awareness of the rights of women and girls.
"The
pilot project on the Domestic Violence Act will enable all stakeholders to
jointly uphold and protect the rights of women and children, thereby favouring
the emergence of a just and equitable society conducive for sustainable
development and poverty reduction," the Canadian ambassador to Zimbabwe,
Roxanne Dube, told IRIN.
"If
the realities and voices of half of the population are not fully recognised,
the reduction of poverty and the creation of a more secure, equitable and
prosperous world will remain a distant dream," she said.
CIDA
is also funding the Girl Child Community Gender, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
Capacity Building Programme, which aims to increase knowledge of HIV/AIDS
issues and is largely based in rural areas, where the project hopes to reach up
to 10,000 girls aged 18 and below.
In
the process, the programme will train 300 coordinators, 200 traditional,
religious and local leaders, 100 law enforcement agents and up to 5,000 members
of the community.
"The
project stems from the recognition that awareness and knowledge about issues on
HIV/AIDS, the girl child and gender equity are critical to the development of
girl children, and contribute to the elimination of discriminatory social and
cultural practices that subordinate and marginalise them," Dube said.
According
to Netsai Mushonga, national coordinator of the WCZ, programmes designed to
disseminate information about domestic violence, and particularly awareness
programmes for the vulnerability and needs of the girl child, were starting to
bear fruit: "Domestic violence in some areas where we have done awareness
campaigns is no longer acceptable." Domestic violence in some areas where
we have done awareness campaigns is no longer acceptable
The
Domestic Violence Bill was signed into law on 13 February 2007 by President
Robert Mugabe and gazetted soon after, but the Act will not come into force
until the President fixes the date of commencement by Statutory Instrument,
which allows different dates of commencement to be fixed for different
provisions.
All
major police stations have victim-friendly offices, which are supposed to be
manned by officers who have received training in how to handle cases of sexual
abuse.
Sgt
Choice Chikuni, of the Victim Friendly Programme, told a meeting of women in
Masvingo town, the provincial capital, that as a result of the absence of a
commencement date for the Act, it was difficult to handle cases of violence in
homes. "In most cases ... we are treating cases of domestic violence as
common assault."
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