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Sikhumbuzo Moyo [email protected]
THE Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Monica Mutsvangwa is today set to officially open Bulawayo’s one-stop centre at Mpilo Central Hospital.
The occasion will be held simultaneously with the provincial commemorations of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, globally commemorated from November 25 to December 10.
The multi-sectoral centre will provide temporary shelter, health, legal, counselling, psycho-social support and protection to survivors of GBV. Beneficiaries will also enjoy privacy as they will no longer need to go through hospital processes to access necessary services after being abused.
This year’s campaign is held under the theme, “Towards 30 Years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: UNITE to End Violence against Women and Girls.” The commemorations come amid a growing concern that women and girls around the globe are facing a troubling surge in gender-based violence (GBV), a threat that is no longer confined to the physical spaces but even through online violence, Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV)
TFGBV manifests in various forms, including cyberstalking, defamation, doxing, harassment, revenge porn and online abuse. Like offline forms of GBV, TFGBV is deeply linked to broader social perpetuates harmful stereotypes, cultural and social norms, and patterns of toxic masculinity that discriminate against women and girls, including those with intersecting marginalised identities.
According to the Institute of International Development, between 16-58 per cent of women and girls in all their diversities, have experienced TFGBV, a reality that underscores the widespread and growing threat of digital abuse, affecting women and girls globally, across age, race, or socio-economic backgrounds.
Today’s event will also be graced by the Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube, who will give her welcome remarks.
Minister Mutsvangwa launched the national commemorations at Mawabeni Business Centre, Umzingwane district, Matabeleland South province yesterday where she said Government, under the steward leadership of President Mnangagwa, continues to make significant strides in the fight against GBV.