A Chipinge based community organisation will hold an annual gender symposium meant to raise awareness on harmful cultural practices and beliefs that are historically responsible for perpetuating gender based violence.
In a statement to mark the 16 days of activism against gender based violence, Platform for Youth and Community Development (PYCD) said with the country experiencing unprecedented cases of child rape, teen pregnancies and unimaginable cases of violent emotions targeted mostly at young women and girls, the symposium will be significant to rally all stakeholders towards a common agenda.
“In order to achieve the objectives of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender based Violence, PYCD has lined up activities that will unfold through collaborations with other local, national and international organizations and stakeholders.
“There shall be daily activities at ward level that will be carried specifically by 25 Gender Activists found in Chipinge. The highlights of the activities include an Annual Gender Symposium that brings together Community Based Organizations working on gender issues in Chipinge district, a land policy dialogue on the privatization of customary land and implications for Women’s Land Tenure security and Livelihoods,” PYCD said.
This year’s 16 days of activism against gender based violence comes amid reports of two 9-year-old pregnant girls, one of whom has already given birth. Earlier on, a 15-year-old Nokutenda Hwaramba and 14-year-old Anna Machaya died while giving birth at Apostolic sect shrines.
According to the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, an estimated 4959 girls fell pregnant during the COVID-19 induced lockdown.
