By Tendai Chisiri
HerForShe Diplomats and Business Leaders Dialogue was held to reflect and dialogue on how to deepen and widen HerForShe campaign in Zimbabwe in the capital on Wednesday.
In his remarks His Excellency Edward Kallon said excellent work done by the outgoing Deputy Head of Mission of the UK during his tenure as chair of the HeForShe diplomats forum is highly commendable.
“Gender inequality and violence against women and girls remain major drivers of poverty, destitution, and under-development. SDG 5, Gender Equality is that fine thread that weave together the 17 SDGs”, he added.
In line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN works to support national development priorities, including ending poverty, improving health, and human development by empowering women and engaging boys and men.
Without the empowerment of women and engagement in productive sectors of the economy the SDGs cannot be achieved. According to UN Women, achieving gender equality requires an inclusive approach that both recognizes men and boys as partners for women’s rights, and acknowledges how they stand to benefit from greater equality
The HeForShe campaign is an invitation for men and people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women and girls to create a bold, visible, and united force for gender equality.
The objective is to change discriminatory behaviors, through building awareness of the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment and the crucial role men can play in their own lives, and at more structural levels in their communities, to end the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls.
I have had the opportunity in the ongoing nationally led events of 16 days of activism to share UN’s policy perspectives, programme results and commitment to gender equality and ending violence against women and girls.
“I have had the opportunity in the ongoing nationally led events of 16 days of activism to share UN’s policy perspectives, programme results and commitment to gender equality and ending violence against women and girls”, said Kallon.
“This morning, it is all about showing solidarity with our daughters, sisters, spouses, mothers, grandmothers to end violence against women and girls”, he added.
“n this regard, allow me to call on all Zimbabweans to pledge their commitment to gender equality and end violence against women and girls by joining the #HeForShe movement and enhance advocacy at all levels in Zimbabwe to seeks to:
Accelerate women’s economic empowerment
Support women’s role in peace and security processes
Advance women’s political participation and leadership
Eliminate gender-based violence”, he said.
Many members of society participate in reinforcing harmful social norms such as gender-based violence and shifting these norms requires the full participation of everyone, male and female, old and young.
” We witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of engaging boys, and men in protecting their families and communities from gender-based violence and ensuring access to basic service cannot be overemphasized”, he said
He urged all in the gathering and through the media to reach out to many other male colleagues at the highest decision-making level to commit collectively and individually to champion at least one or two issues on women’s equality and empowerment.
It could be male parliamentarians championing the alignment of laws to the constitution, economists discussing possible special measures to ensure women are fully included in the economy, judges, and leaders in the security sector enforcing laws to end child marriage, he said.
“Please do champion something that will enable women and girls to become change agents at all levels of society. We can only champion through tangible and measurable actions. The time for awareness raising is over, it is time for action, and we must stand to be counted for our actions now and today”, he pleaded .
The He4She campaign is designed to include men in the gender equality discourse which is not just a women’s issue but a human rights issue.
As persons with voice and influence, as diplomats and business leaders, we must consider women’s concerns.
“Today, women and girls are risking their security and welfare to continue fulfilling the role placed upon them by society. In some cases, walking extra ordinary distances to fetch water, engaging in jobs in the search for food that make them vulnerable to wildlife in rural areas /or being sexuality exploited simply for survival and basic needs”, he revealed.
Diplomats and business leaders convened under the HeForShe forum can use their influence and position to call for and ensure that development programmes and projects have a strong gender lens for women and girls’ welfare, Kallon advised
In health, strides are being made in reducing HIV infection rates and success in reaching some of the SDG goals such as reduction in maternal mortality rates and ensuring that women participate and are part of a growing society… not charity cases.
Economically, an estimated 84% of employable Zimbabweans are in the informal economy, of which approximately 67% are women. Zimbabwe is an agrarian society with a large population of women engage in Agriculture It is only right and strategic to ensure they have access to financial resource and means of production to be active and productive citizens in society.
“As members of the private sector and Diplomatic Corps, this is where your decisive roles in providing requisite resources and calling for policies and legislation and access for women and partnerships with the Government of Zimbabwe and the UN Development System are critical”, he alerted.
While there is still under-reporting of gender-based violence particularly rape of women and girls and specially of late children, the statistics reported in the media paints an alarming situation.
“Iwant to underline that no one says YES to rape. There is no excuse to defend rape. Being drunk, wearing a mini skirt, she said “maybe,” or flirting are not excusing for rape”, he added
Rape is one of the worst forms of sexual-gender-based violence. The United Nations has partnered with the Government of Zimbabwe and the European Union to implement the Spotlight Initiative funded by the UN and the EU to eliminate violence against women and girls become a reality.
The Spotlight Initiative programme funded by the EU focuses on:
Legislative and policy frameworks to ensure the enforcement of laws to protect women from all forms of violence.
Strengthening of institutions to make them more accountable to addressing gender-based violence.
Prevention through the promotion of positive gender and social norms to change behavior among communities.
Improving the quality of services such that survivors of sexual and gender-based violence receive the support they need.
Ensuring the availability and utilization of data on VAWG for improvement of responses; and
Mobilizing the women’s movement to strengthen the voice and agency of women speaking out against gender-based violence.
Concerted efforts have been made to ensure that the elimination of violence against women and girls is a full-time commitment – one in which we all should remain engaged for the 365 days of the year.
The United Nations in Zimbabwe remains committed to work with everyone that believes in equality and non-violence, and together we stand against violence of women and girls and against rape.
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