Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
ONE-stop centres are playing a pivotal role in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) with the Bindura one-stop centre receiving an average of 75 survivors in need of assistance per month.
This emerged during an assessment visit to the Bindura One-Stop Centre by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a key player in the fight against GBV.
Ms Seppy Ndlovu, a lawyer at the Bindura One Stop Centre said, “Most of cases we receive here are sexual abuse cases. If it is a rape case, we go with the client to court and do what we call court monitoring.”
“We have challenges here like people coming to report GBV cases and then when they go back home and visit again, their story will have changed probably due to coercion, so we are in need of safe shelter for survivors,” Bindura One Stop Centre’s administrator, Mrs Stella Muchenje said.
UNFPA Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Mrs Lydia Zigomo said progress has been made in fighting GBV and the fight should be sustained.
“These types of services are absolutely fundamental and important. We often talk of peace as if peace is the absence of war, but can I just say peace is the absence of violence. So, war is not the only denominator to determine whether there is peace. Peace is also about peaceful homes and communities, where everyone feels safe and is able to realise their full potential. Gender-based violence is a worldwide problem,” she said.
The Bindura One-Stop centre is making a huge impact in the province, according to the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender, Community Small, and Medium Enterprises Provincial Development Officer, Mrs Judith Hove.
“This place is good because our survivors get help in one place. It has all services including counselling, legal, and health services. If the person visiting requires a doctor, it helps because the centre is located at a hospital. If you remember the 8-year-old girl who was raped, she was identified here.”
The assessment of the One-Stop Centre follows the end of the Spotlight Initiative, an unprecedented global effort to invest in gender equality and end violence against women and girls.
