Summit 2014: North East District Council

Preventing gender abuse is more import to our district because were believe GBV is an unforgettable experience that would ever want to try. It may be easy for the perpetrators to do it but may take life time for the victims to forget it. The of GBV that happen in our district includes rape(including defilement), sexual violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse and financial abuse.

Although the district has no office dealing with gender issues alone, the messages of prevention are through existing department that covers GBV cases throughout the district. It is still very difficult to say through the prevention messages sent through GBV cases has been increasing or decreasing because no study has been made on this issue in the district. The other issue is of underreport that we suspect that it may be happening because the district community is still strong on cultural and traditional norms/believes.

Key objectives *
What did the process set out to do? *

The key objectives of educating the communities about the prevention of the GBV is;

a. Reduce violence that happens in families, workplaces and in close relationships.
b. Reduce the rape cases in the district
c. Assist the victims to open up and get assistance so that they could be supported

From the information available in the district the highest number of GBV cases recorded was of physical abuse mostly made by men to women and girl child. It was also observed that this physical abuse was happening in intimate relationships. After physical abuse, it then followed emotional abuse, sexual abuse, rape and lastly economic abuse.

For the financial year 20114/15 the department of S&CD recorded 12 cases, which 12 of them had emotional abuse, which was in form of harsh words by 8 males to females and 4 females to males Among the 12 cases reported 3 were of sexual abuse. Among this three cases one was by a step father advancing sexual abuse to the step daughter (not a minor) and the remaining two by boyfriend to their girlfriends. All the cases showed that these women were not economical empowered as they were not working .This violence ’s the one of the most dangerous as it can transmit the HIV virus to the victims.
Other than the above cases the district had two rape cases in which a 30 year old man had raped his two nieces aged 8years and 9 years. The victims were women.

Download : 20921_north-east-district-council-main-application-gbvmaikano-madigele.docx