Staff Writer
EUROPEAN Union (EU) fully funded gender campaign is set to up the game in amplifying the voices of women and girls in a bid to end sexual violence while promoting empowerment among other initiatives.
The program comes at a time when latest the Demographic Health Survey shows that one in three women between the ages of 15 and 49 experience physical violence in their lifetime , while one in four experience sexual violence in Zimbabwe.
Dubbed the Spotlight Initiative , the program kicked off on the 1st of March and will run until monthend spreading messages which eliminate violence against women and girls and facilitate discourse for action through visual and digital messages.
“In addition, the campaign includes animated and static messages in video and electronic format that highlight the fact that ending gender based violence is everyone’s responsibility.
“The campaign will be featured on all UN in Zimbabwe social media platforms as part of the effort to make advocacy for women and girl empowerment and the fight against sexual and gender based violence a yearlong commitment,” said the UN communique.
Other channels such as radio , television and messaging platforms will also be used to amplify the messages of the campaign and ensure widespread sharing among the public .
The project is fully funded by the EU and will run for four years targeting directly and indirectly 11 million beneficiaries’ particularly rural women and girls, those living with disabilities and HIV.
It also aims to ensure that all women and girls benefit from adequate legislation and policies, gender, responsive institutions, violence prevention programs , essential services, comparable and reliable data , and a strong social movement against violence and harmful practices at the national and sub-national levels.
UN resident Coordinator, Maria Ribeiro will lead the initiative alongside other six UN agencies like UN Women, International Labour Organisation, United Nations Developments Program,United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation ,UNFPA and UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Civil Society organisations.
