FACT Zimbabwe
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence: All Lives Matter! End Gender-Based Violence Now!”
Call to Action
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The 2022 theme for the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV is calling on us all to rise against GBV in the realisation that ‘All Lives Matter.’ This year we celebrate voices that call for an end to sexual violence and afford them platforms to be heard. In so doing, FACT reaffirms its commitment to work towards the realisation of Healthy Communities for A Healthy Nation.
DREAMS Ambassadors/Mentors speak
One in 3 women is experiencing violence every day. We have tolerated violence for far too long. The world has become numb to the issue of violence against girls and women. If you or someone you know is a survivor of GBV speaks up! Your voice must be heard. Silence will not make the hurt go away. There is no excuse or justification for violence. We call on every girl and young woman to wear orange in solidarity with a cry to reclaim our dignity, to repossess our safe space in society.
An adolescent girl speaks
A girl is also a human being, not a piece of property. We are tired of being abused. We are robbed of our future in the name of culture and religion. We are subjected to sexual dalliance (chiramu), forced into child marriage, and raped to satisfy men’s sexual desires and expression of dominance. Society expects so much from us yet so little is being done to safeguard our rights. This has to stop now! We matter! All lives matter! Release us from the cultural and religious hold. Free us so we can bring to the world all our talents. Let every girl and young woman say out loud every day, ‘I will be Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe!’
Sexual Violence Prevention Facilitators speak
We dream of a world where girls are empowered to make informed and independent decisions. The continued occurrence of sexual abuse and exploitation has destroyed the mental, social and physical state of young girls. These young girls deserve to be treated with royalty, yet the community is turning a blind eye towards them. They are thus suffocating and dying from abuse. Let us unite and with a loud voice on the radio, in the streets and everywhere say ‘No to neglect! No to body shaming! No to incest! No to child marriage! No to rape! No to abuse!’ Let No MEAN No!
For Press Contact
Gertrude Shumba | FACT Zimbabwe Executive Director | director@fact.org.zw| +263 (20) 61648/67493/66015
Tinotenda Kabai | Documentation and Communications Coordinator | tkabai@fact.org.zw| +263 775 957413