Zimbabwe: Leobah Dube

“When l look at my life I thank God for what He has done like John the Baptist He gave me light. I was blind like Batmeaus until one day I met Gender Links and my life was changed. Now I know that one day I will have a firm and brighter future all because of GL. As the Heard of Child Rights of the Mvurwi Town Junior Council, I know what I’m supposed to do to advocate for children’s rights especially girls , and the credit goes to Gender Links.”

Being a gender equality champion she is a chairperson on child rights in Mvurwi town. She advocates for all gender inequalities that affect the ability of girls’ access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. As an advocate of gender equality, Gender links increased her confidence to champion for the rights of girls through shaping her skills and knowledge. At first she faced resistance from the community and parents for taking a lead in challenging all forms of Gender based Violence and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

   “It was early 2016 when I met my emancipator in the name of GL. Tears shed my heart bleeds when I think of what happened in my life. I can remember it just like yesterday. Growing in a family of five and four of them being boys ,  I was seen as a nobody.”  At first she was shy to report GBV cases due to facing discrimination from her community and friends. Some of the cases where committed by known people hence she faced more enemies than friends. “My father used to believe in his status quo, that boys must finish high school and go further with education whilst girls are meant to be married and bear children. At first my father wasn’t ready to hear rights and responsibilities of a girl child especially from me.  At first he drove me out of the house.”

Thanks to the training she got from Mvurwi Town Council through the Gender Focal Person who has vast experience from Gender Links.  Leobah is the force to reckon in her community through championing GBV.  She is using creative arts performance such as poems to speak out against gender based violence among women and girls.  She is educating women and girls not to be ashamed by reporting any form of GBV they face. All people are equal and the rights of women and girls must be protected and respected. It is their right to access justice and to report on all forms and cases of GBV where ever it happens.

She started a campaign called men and boys SISTER`S KEEPERS. The campaigning is targeting men and boys on ending Gender Based Violence. Her campaign seeks to redefine masculinities through male introspection in safe spaces where men can move from domineering to loving and caring for women.

She joined Junior council with the purpose of advocating for other children’s rights especially girls. She competed for the Head of Child Rights post.  Back then the post was meant for boys only because it was said that they are the ones who are capable of advocating for the rights of other children rights but through Gender Links this was all changed. Last year she organized the commemoration of the International Day of Girl Child which was successful. There was the distribution of sanitary wear and education of girls on menstrual cycle and hydgiene. This day was called ‘MY PERIOD MY PRIDE’, “I came up with this name after I heard a girl in my class who said that she was shy about her periods and her parents didn’t afford to buy her sanitary wear. So on this day we distributed 1000 reusable sanitary wear to help vulnerable girls.”

As the head of child rights who was inspired by Gender Links she was invited by KURAINASHE Organization to recite a speech about Gender Based Violence where the commemoration of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence was being held. She encouraged the society not to keep the perpetrator of Gender Based Violence because he or she is a relative. She pointed out that, “if your father rapes you he is no longer your father, he now a monster.” This helped many girls because back then they were shy to speak out. Gender Links changed Leobah’s life and now she is changing other people’s lives, and the credit goes to Gender Links.

Through Gender links and Mvurwi Town Council she was able to report three cases of Sexual Gender Based Violence of 3 girls who were sexually abused.   These cases are now at the courts where she believes that the law will take its course and the perpetrators will be responsible for their actions. Leobah indicated that she gives all the credit to Mvurwi Town Council and Gender Links who empowered her with skills and confidence to confront all social norms that perpetuate gender based violence in Mvurwi community. Without their capacity building it was going to be difficult to dialogue with community and young people of her same age.

In order to prevent GBV among women and girls there is need to promote women economic rights. Entrepreneurship skills are vital to response and eradicate GBV through supporting them to start small businesses to support their livelihoods. Empowerment and development of their capabilities are closely related to their economic self-sufficiency. Empowering women economically will therefore directly reduce their dependence on men and hence their vulnerability to violence. This will be achieved by initiating and creating income generating opportunities which include projects which they will choose on their own. If women are empowered through livelihoods projects they will contribute immensely to economic growth and alleviating poverty. This will promote household food security and income among young women hence having a voice in making better decisions that promote gender equality and peace at household and community level.  Women who are economically empowered can protect themselves as well as to deal with the consequences of GBV and they will go a long way in preventing gender-based violence.