Collective approach needed to end violence against women, girls

GENDER Rights organisation #Whispers has continued with its women emancipation drive after attending a symposium that aimed at decolonising discourses on violence against women and girls.

Speaking to Standard Style, #Whispers director and country coordinator for the International Network on Ending Vio- lence against Women and

Girls (INEWAG) Sibonokuhle Buhlungu said they will continue fighting to end violence against women and girls in sync with resolutions made at the recent symposium.

“The fight for gender equality and justice can never be won as long as there is violence against women and girls,” she said.

“We are happy to be playing our part as seen by our ongoing programmes and the recent participation and contributions at the recent symposium held in Johannesburg, South Africa.”

According to Buhlungu, who represented Zimbabwe at the symposium together with Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, the recent symposium was born out of a desire to collectively eradicate violence against women and girls.

“The Presidency Team in South Africa, like many of us working in countries across Africa, has been deeply concerned about the levels of violence against women and girls in the region,” she said.

Despite attempts by organisations such as #Whispers in Zimbabwe, INEVAWG and many civil society organisations in the region, violence against women and girls has continued as a normalised part of our societies despite commitments made by states,” she said. Buhlungu said the symposium also aimed at questioning certain norms and values that have for long perpetuated violence against women and girls.

Key questions at the symposium were summarised in the question: What are we not understanding and what do we need to be doing differently? Drawing on our history in Africa framed by violence and struggles for self-determination against colonialism, the symposium provided a space in which a range of stakeholders could engage in a deep conversation on how we could draw from an understanding of all of this to strengthen our collective efforts to end violence against women and girls. “It provided space as well where we could share decolonial African-centred approaches to programming and explore how this could be taken forward in programming and policy approaches,” she said.

The symposium was also a good platform for the development practitioners and women's rights activists to deepen their understanding of violence against women. “Beyond providing a framework for a gender just society, the symposium provided a space through which to deepen our understanding of violence against women and girls, linking it to history,” she said. “All of us will take this forward in our work. It connected us to policy developments in the region and to other organisations across the region.”