Zimpapers Logo

WE want to say thumbs up to the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa for taking the fight against Gender Based Violence to another level by establishing a national call centre.

The 575 hotline is for survivors and victims of sexual and gender- based violence and is housed in Amai Mnangagwa’s office. Victims from both urban and rural areas can use the hotline to report cases of GBV and sexual abuse.

Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development has already established seven one-stop centres to complement the First Lady’s efforts to assist victims.

Mobile one-stop centres and shelters have also been established to service remote areas. The hotline offers safe and confidential reporting and as such members of the public should take advantage of this facility to report GBV, sexual and child abuse cases from their neighbourhood.

Since the establishment of the hotline, a number of cases have been reported and what is pleasing is that swift action has been taken to assist the victims. We want at this juncture to commend Amai Mnangagwa for her commitment to fight GBV, sexual and child abuse.

Cases of abuse are rampant in both urban and rural areas. According to reports, the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the situation as the perpetrators of GBV and sexual abuse are now spending more time with the victims.

The hotline established by Amai Mnangagwa can only realise its intended goal if members of the public who witness cases of GBV, sexual or child abuse report the cases.

It is a fact that many of the victims are afraid to report cases of abuse because the perpetrators are close relatives hence the need for neighbours to assist.

Many women abused by their husbands suffer in silence because they want to preserve their marriages and some of them have been maimed by these abusive men.

These suffering women can only be assisted if their neighbours take advantage of the First Lady’s national call centre to report the abuses.
Amai Mnangagwa has taken the lead in fighting GBV and all other forms of abuses and this passion and commitment should cascade to all levels of our communities.

The leadership at village, ward and district level should also take the lead in ensuring that victims of GBV and other forms of abuse are protected and that perpetrators are brought to book.

The national call centre statistics could assist Government in identifying areas where GBV and other abuse cases are rampant in order to come up with mitigation measures.

We want to once again urge victims of GBV and other forms of abuse and the witnesses to take advantage of the national call centre to report the cases so that corrective action is taken before it is too late.