Zimbabwe, Rwanda exchange knowledge on tackling GBV

Officials Rwanda and Zimbabwe on Monday, February 7, exchanged knowledge about different approaches applied to address the issue of Gender-Based Violence in their respective countries. This was during the visit of Sithembiso Nyoni, Zimbabwean’s Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development at Isange One-Stop Centre at Kacyiru Hospital. Nyoni is leading a delegation on a ten-day study visit to Rwanda since January 29, during which they have met different officials in different sector to discuss best practices. Isange One-Stop Centre was established in 2009 as a homegrown solution to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Child Abuse in the country. Minister Nyoni is leading a delegation on a ten-day study visit to Rwanda since January 29 It provides different services to GBV and Child Abuse victims such as psychological, counselling, medical treatment, medical-legal examination, investigations, and temporary shelter. She said they were very impressed by the way the centre is organized, equipped and staffed which is similar to what they have in Zimbabwe and the only difference is that they attach the Ministry of Education in the solution-giving strategy. “We also attach the Ministry of Education so that if there is a child that is victimized, the counsellors will hand them over to teachers, and organize the next school nearest to the centre so that they don’t miss out on school,” she said. In addition, she said, they also equip women victims at the centre with skills so that by the time they leave, they can go and start a livelihood for themselves. Among the challenges faced, she highlighted the fear of victims to report the abuse, leading to many perpetrators going unpunished, and men who are victims of GBV but don’t want to come out because of shame. “So, we are also saying to men to please come out because our aim is to build a society of harmony between men and women, and a society that protects its children,” she said. Nyoni, however, said that they are focusing on the causes and prevention of GBV more than just the cure and services. Officials Rwanda and Zimbabwe exchanged knowledge about different approaches applied to address the issue of Gender-Based Violence in their respective countries. Jeanette Bayisenge, Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, said that this is an opportunity to share and learn strategies used by other countries in addressing the GBV issue, much as it is a common problem in many African societies. She said that there has been a rise in GBV cases reported owing to the continued awareness carried out and services made available that builds confidence in victims to come out and seek help. However, she noted that more efforts need to be invested in creating more awareness on the criminality of the act and perpetrators being punished, which will lead to the decrease in numbers of cases because the society would have understood that it is a crime.” According to the latest Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey 2019-20 Final Report, on domestic violence, it’s reported that 46 per cent of ever-married women and 18 per cent of ever-married men have experienced spousal physical, sexual, or emotional violence. The Zimbabwean minister Nyoni is leading a delegation on a ten-day study visit to Rwanda since January 29 The prevalence of any spousal violence among ever-married women increased from 40 per cent in 2014-15 to 46 per cent in 2019-20 but declined slightly from 20 per cent to per cent among men over the same period. Forms of GBV include physical violence such as; sexual violence which includes rape, defilement, marital rape assault, psychological violence which is mostly verbal and emotional abuse. There is also economic violence where one is deprived of their access to resources, mismanagement of family property, not providing alimony (a legal obligation for a person to provide financial support to his or her spouse before or after marital separation or divorce).

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Zimbabwe, Rwanda exchange knowledge on tackling GBV