Zambia Federation of Associations of Women in Business has observed that Women’s Economic Empowerment is key in fighting Gender Based Violence GBV.
Speaking in an interview ahead of international women’s day celebrations, Federation Chief Executive Officer Maureen Sumbwe notes that Gender Based Violence (GBV) and women economic empowerment cannot be divorced hence the need for stakeholders involved in empowering women to accelerate the rate at which they are helping women to expand and access finances for their businesses.
Ms Sumbwe says economic independence empowers women to leave abusive spouses as they are able to fend for themselves without depending on anyone once they are alone.
Meanwhile the Federation CEO says the association will tomorrow visit Chainama Hills Hospital ward seven for women which it adopted seven years ago as part of it women’s day celebrations.
She calls on members of the public to spear a thought for in institutions such Chainama Hills Hospital as they are not in these institutions by choice but due to many factors which includes GBV in some cases.
“As an Association we recognizes the significant role Women play in society therefore, we note that as we Celebrate International Women’s day
We should bear in mind that what has brought the patients at Chainama Hills Hospital can happen to any of us due to a number of factors such as everyday stress that Women go through including Gender Based”
Zambian Women will tomorrow join the rest of the glob in celebrating International Women’s Day which falls on 8th March annually.
And Gender Links Zambia country Director Sara Longwe has called on the public to ensure that they take keen interest in the fight against Gender Based Violence GBV.
Ms Longwe observed that there is need for the publics’ involvement in fighting the GBV scourge as living it to the victims to fight on themselves alone would be too late.
“Gender Based Violence should be everybody’s business not just the ones who happen to be in the midst of it cause it is too late then, so prevention is most important”. She noted.
She also observed that part some of the reasons for the high prevalence of gender based violence is the almost nonexistence of extended families as the social economics of the country is forcing families to stick to nuclear families something she advised families to rethink.
“We are becoming more nuclear families, social economics reasons are the many drivers of that but we need to rethink cause extended advises families eases they suffering of the children”.
And speaking at the same event Gender Links Deputy executive director Kubi Raina said Zambia has the highest prevalence rate for GBV as shown by a recent research done in 6 southern African countries.
Ms Raina said research which was done in 4 provinces indicates that the country has 89 percent prevalence rate for GBV cases amongest women.
She called for new prevention strategies in fighting the scourge as the strategies that are being used now seems not to be producing the desired results.
“Clearly it shows that we haven’t really strategised effectively around prevention as we have focused more of the funds on treatment, more of it is about campaigns but prevention needs to be more”. Said Ms Raina.
She further noted the is need to scale up physco Social canceling facilities in the country as the facilities are almost non-existent.
She said emotional violence is the most prevalent kind of GBV hence the need for physco-social canceling facilities in the country.
“Emotional Violence is very damaging because if you are hurt your injuries will get better but how do you heal the brain or the heart? the services for that are almost non- existent, can you go to a shelter and say that am emotionally abused?” She wondered.
The duo said this in lusaka to day where Ms Raina announced the dates for gender links SADC Protocol summits which will start with 14 preparatory district summits during March and April in Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Madagscar, Mozambique, Nambia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zibbabwe, before culminating in a regional summit in Johanesburg from 26-28 may 2014.
This year the regional summit will call on governments to account for their commitments to gender equality critical to the countdown towards 2015.
The summits will also witness the launch of a movement from a strong post 2015 global and SADC gender agenda.
True that! Women who are able to support themselves financially have a better chance of embracing feminism and will most likely to not tolerate domestic violence.
I agree that economic independence is one of the key determinants of elimination of GBV however the manner in which economic independence is being done is flawed. Why do we give loans to men as individuals why don’t we do the same for women. Women are given group loans or grants. This is wrong as group funding has and will not change the status of women. Also let’s attend to early marriages especially in rural areas where its acceptable practice