WOMEN Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development minister Sithembiso Nyoni has urged Members of Parliament to assist by fighting gender based violence (GBV) which is prevalent in communities.
Addressing the National Assembly on Wednesday, Nyoni said: “Zimbabwe’s second pandemic after COVID-19 is GBV. It is happening at homes, workplaces where women are sexually harassed, and in communities where we see women and girls raped. I appeal to MPs to join the GBV fight within their communities. Some of the reasons why GBV happens are beyond our control. We need to unite to end GBV.”
Nyoni said GBV survivors need to be assisted to recover from the traumatic experiences.
“My ministry has set up one-stop centres in six provinces in the country. We will build more centres in the remaining provinces to rehabilitate women who undergo GBV,” she said.
“We do not want GBV cases to be just police cases. The victims also need psychological counselling and someone to give them hope,” she said.
