ZIMBABWE can begin to respond effectively to the twin scourges of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and drugs and substance abuse, by offering skills training opportunities for both women, young girls and youths.
An added response can be provision of recreational facilities for young people.
This feedback is coming out clearly from the on-going campaign on 16 Days of Activism, and the war on drug and substance abuse.
The campaigns have resulted in greater awareness of GBV cases and the extent of drug abuse. These efforts have led to more cases being reported.
What, however, is also critical is focusing on response measures and the successes. There are a lot of senior or retired people who would be happy to offer their services in mentoring women, young girls and youths on starting sustainable ventures. There is a lot of capacity internally from retirees in mentoring and ensuring success of projects by young people and women.
In the case of Vocational Training Centres (VCTs), ensuring their success could start by identifying resources available in each of the provinces for the youths to exploit and then putting together teams of mentors to help the youths implement and ensure the success and sustainability of their ventures.
In the case of young girls and women, the number of GBV cases would be less if markets for their activities were identified. The markets could be internal and external. Zimtrade and the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) have done well in identifying export markets for Zimbabwean products. The important thing is to ensure that the activities of the youths and women dovetail with the opportunities being identified by both Zimtrade and AMA.
In this, Zimbabwe could become a model for the region, if not the Global South in effectively responding to cases of GBV and drug and substance abuse. Such responses would be less costly than building up institutions to house victims of GBV or for rehabilitating recovering drugs and substance addicts.
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By being reported, and by offering opportunities for skills training, women and young girls can begin to find more ways of being less dependent on men, husbands or boyfriends, reducing chances of friction, which often attract violent responses.
In the case of youths, the opening up of more vocational training centres throughout the country will absorb young people, who because of lack of opportunities end up resorting to drug and substance abuse.
By identifying opportunities that are supported by financial institutions such as Women’s and Youth Empowerment Banks, Zimbabwe can begin to deal effectively with the twin scourges of GBV and drug and substance abuse. Women, young girls and youths would all be engaged in productive activities, leaving no room for friction that sparks off violent responses.
A key aspect could be to remove barriers to the skills training programmes. A model could be to allow interested youths, but who are resource-challenged, to undergo training while ensuring that the cost of training them is recovered after their projects are up and running. That would be the spirit of inclusivity.
By offering support and skills training, Zimbabwe will not only break the silence, but effectively silence GBV, while VTCs will prepare youths to contribute to the attainment of Vision 2030, as well as industrialisation of rural centres. — New Ziana
