Young women bemoan the prevalence of violence and abuse in tertiary institutions

There has been a worrying increase of perpetuation of violence against young women and girls especially in local churches that condone and promote child marriages. The case of Anna Machaya a 15-year-old minor who died while giving birth at a Marange Shrine is an example of how child marriages are rife in some churches with church members failing to speak out as this has been their normal practice for a long time.

This was said by Pamela Mpofu during a Young Women’s Roundtable hosted by Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) as part of the 16 days of activism against GBV commemorations. The Roundtable was attended by young women from Bulawayo in various sectors including media, arts, CSOs and tertiary institutions. The discussion focused on the impacts of GBV on young women.

Noncedo Ndlovu a tertiary student bemoaned the prevalence of abuse in learning institutions as she says that this puts a lot of female learners at risk of unwanted pregnancies, STIs and depression.

“In universities a lot of abuse emanates from those in authority especially male lecturers who ask for sexual favors from female students in return for pass marks. This kind of abuse goes unreported due to the power balances as students fear being victimised. We need practical interventions so that this comes because most survivors are suffering in silence,” explained Ndlovu.

Sibonginkosi Netha who was also in attendance at the Roundtable highlighted that failure to address Gender Based Violence entails a significant cost for the future taking into consideration that children growing up in violent situations are more likely to become victims or perpetrators of violence in the future.

“It is vital to incorporate more awareness and knowledge sharing through partnerships and long-term programs in an effort to address the complex development challenge of gender-based violence. We should tackle violence against women and girls through strengthened approaches to identifying and assessing key risks of GBV especially on children from a young age,” submitted Netha.

In concluding the Roundtable, young women discussed mitigation strategies and recommendations in addressing GBV among young women and girls. They highlighted the need for strengthening of reporting mechanisms for violence, effective implementation of laws and policies in addressing GBV and improved information dissemination especially in rural areas among others.