GBV survivors to benefit from one stop centre at Mpilo Hospital
The Women Affairs Ministry has partnered with donors to construct a one stop centre which will cater for gender based violence (GBV) survivors in Bulawayo and beyond.
Construction of the one stop centre is under way at Mpilo Central Hospital where survivors will easily access legal, health and counselling aid from well-trained service providers. Lack of resources and such facilities has been fuelling under reportage of GBV especially sexual abuse in Zimbabwe.
It is estimated that nearly 40 percent of the Zimbabwean women have experienced either physical or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime.
Soneni Mlambo a residents from Mzilikazi said the centre will bring relief to women who have struggled to find help when violated.
“Sometimes we fail to report these cases as we will be ordered to go to four different places and narrate the same story before justice is served. The process itself was draining and costly but with a one stop centre, we will be confident that our cases will be treated with respect and the urgency they deserve. We have for the longest time let offenders go scot-free because the system discouraged us from reporting but with this centre, justice will definitely prevail,” said Mlambo.
Speaking during a tour of the building, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes Dr Joram Gumbo said the Centre will provide multidisciplinary services to survivors including health, legal, counselling, psycho-social support and protection.
“The centre is strategically situated here at Mpilo Hospital because in most instances, the first port of call for survivors of gender-based violence is a health institution,” he said.
He said the establishment of the One Stop Centre is an attempt to complement the efforts by the Government to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
“The expectation is that this will lead to a better understanding of the realities of GBV and promote the establishment of a GBV free society,” added Dr Gumbo.
Bulawayo State Minister of Provincial Affairs and Devolution Cde Judith Ncube said the centre will bring relief to many survivors especially women who struggled to get the services before.
“We are grateful to the Government and our development partners who have brought this service for our people. In the past women would be raped and then told to visit five different offices incurring costs which discouraged them from seeking justice. Now with this centre we know they will be catered for and those outside Bulawayo, will also get everything they need,” she said.
It has also been reported that one in three of these women experienced physical or sexual violence before reaching the age of 18.
Forms of GBV include intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, trafficking for sexual exploitation and female infanticide.
Over the past years GBV survivors have been silenced due to costs associated with making reports which gives perpetrators a way to continue abusing more.