Spotlight Initiative in Zimbabwe launches #WithHer campaign to end violence

The  UN in Zimbabwe today launched a campaign themed “I am #WithHer, are you?” by engaging over 30 senior Government, UN, Diplomats, Civil Society, Private Sector, influencers and media personalities under the joint UN-EU Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls.

The campaign aims to mobilize the public and communities to prompt action to end sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices with a specific focus on early marriages.

Beginning today (December 1), as part of the 16 days activism against gender-based violence, the solidarity messages will be posted across various social media platforms including on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.  The 16 days of activism against gender-based violence runs from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day.

Violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive violations of human rights that remains rampant in societies throughout the world today in various forms, including physical, sexual, emotional and financial among others.

In Zimbabwe, the latest Demographic Health Survey shows that one in three women between 15 and 49 years of age experience physical violence in their lifetime, while one in four experience sexual violence by the age of 15. Thus, concerted effort toward ending violence against women and girls is critical if women and girls are to fully realize their human rights.

The Spotlight Initiative is a four-year programme targeting directly and indirectly 11 million beneficiaries particularly rural women and girls, women and girls with disabilities, and women living with HIV.

The Initiative aims to ensure that all women and girls benefit from adequate legislation and policies, gender responsive institutions, violence prevention programmes, essential services, comparable and reliable data, and a strong social movement against violence and harmful practices at the national and sub-national levels.

The Spotlight Initiative, led by the UN Resident Coordinator, is being implemented by six UN Agencies (UN Women as Technical Lead, ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA and UNICEF) in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, the European Union and civil society organizations.