Musasa Records Over 6 800 GBV-related Calls In 1 Year
A national Hotline run by Musasa reportedly recorded more than 6 800 GBV-related calls for the period 30 March 2020 until the end of December 2020.
Statistics compiled from police records show that one woman is abused every 75 minutes and an average of 646 women are being sexually abused monthly, the Chronicle reported citing the president of the Senate Mabel Chinomona.
She made the remarks in a dialogue session in commemorating 16 days of activism against gender-based violence in Harare.
The 16 days of activism are commemorated annually from 25 November to 10 December. Chinomona said:
Given that 94 per cent of the calls were from women, it goes without saying, that women and the girl child bear the disproportionate impact of domestic violence.
Within the SADC region, GBV is high and it varies across Member States. Physical violence ranges from 6 per cent to 34.4 per cent; sexual violence from 4 per cent to 25.5 per cent, while emotional violence ranges from 15.9 per cent to 36.5 per cent.
Sen Monomona said GBV was a worldwide problem as the United Nations estimates that one in three women experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetime.
The Senator said the fight against GBV should be waged every day of the year instead of intensifying it only during the 16 days.
While the government of Zimbabwe has enacted various legislation to protect victims, stakeholders have called for stiffer sentences for offenders.
