The world is taking 16 days to extensively talk against Gender Based Violence (GBV), these 16 days of activism run from 25 November to 10 December which is Human Rights Day. Involvement of men, who are usually the perpetrators, will radically transform the impact of GBV and contribute to stopping violence against women.
Men in the old age were brought up as the superior being to women and this propelled them to have an ego that may be argued to be one of the catalyst to make them violent against women. Some were taught that men do not share their feelings but history has revealed that those pent up feelings and emotions will bottle over and need release which unfortunately may be through violence. This violence is done against women who are physically weaker and are an easy target to men who fail to control themselves.
With that being said, it is imperative to re-condition the way males think, educate them on how to live in harmony with their female counterparts. Society needs to be re-conditioned how males and females are viewed in order to create a safe space for both genders.
The world is changing, with new cultures, traditions and the way of living changing exponentially and the truth is people need to change with it. Women are becoming more successful than men, women are becoming more sexually, socially, politically and religiously active than they used to and that is something the world needs to embrace.
It is now time to address GBV everyday and Zimbabwe has a long road ahead of it, just like the rest of the world, to acknowledge the powerful yet gentle force women have. Sensitising men to not be intimidated by a powerful and educated woman will make a world of difference in ending violence against women and in-turn ending violence against females.
