Category: SRHR

ZGC, PSH Host Editors Indaba on Survivor-Sensitive Reporting of GBV, Child Marriages

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to strengthen media capacity on survivor-sensitive reporting of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and child marriages, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC), in partnership with Population Solutions for Health (PSH), hosted a half-day editors’ training workshop in Harare. The workshop drew participation from editors and senior media managers representing leading media houses including the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), the Zimpapers Group, AB Communications, Alpha Media Holdings, HealthTimes, and The NewsHawks, among others. Speaking at the event, ZGC Chairperson Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe highlighted the importance of engaging media leadership…

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ZGC, PSH Host Editors Indaba on Survivor-Sensitive Reporting of GBV, Child Marriages

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to strengthen media capacity on survivor-sensitive reporting of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and child marriages, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC), in partnership with Population Solutions for Health (PSH), hosted a half-day editors’ training workshop in Harare. The workshop drew participation from editors and senior media managers representing leading media houses including the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), the Zimpapers Group, AB Communications, Alpha Media Holdings, HealthTimes, and The NewsHawks, among others. Speaking at the event, ZGC Chairperson Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe highlighted the importance of engaging media leadership…

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SAYWHAT Trains 40 Youth-led Organizations On Advocacy and Governance

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Forty youth-led organizations from across Zimbabwe have been in Harare since Tuesday, participating in training on advocacy, governance, and monitoring and evaluation. The training, organized by SAYWHAT, was initiated in response to the realization that many youth organizations were not reaching their full potential due to a lack of adequate skills. Speaking at the closing ceremony on Friday, Mr. Osward Mudhunguyo, Director of Youth Empowerment in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, said the training demonstrated a strong commitment to empowering youth to contribute…

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Equality Now Urges Stronger Child Protection Measures at ACERWC 45th Ordinary Session

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Maseru, Lesotho – International human rights organization Equality Now, has called for urgent and reinforced actions to safeguard children’s rights in Africa during the 45th Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC). Addressing the high-level gathering, Sally Ncube, Equality Now’s representative, emphasized the pressing need for legal reforms and stronger enforcement mechanisms to protect children from harmful practices, violence, and exploitation. The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare…

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Raped at a Funeral: Chinhoyi Woman Battles Post-Traumatic Mental Health Episodes

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Sometimes she slams doors, shatters furniture, and shouts at anyone nearby. But she wasn’t always like this. Barbra Cullinan (42) of Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West, now lives in perpetual fear of men, their presence a constant reminder of the horrific ordeal she endured on November 26, 2022, during the month of her birthday. On that fateful day, Barbra attended a funeral to pay her last respects to a close relative. Unbeknownst to her, a man she knew had sinister intentions. Amid the grief and mourning, he saw an…

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My Age Joins the IPPF Family: A New Chapter for Sexual and Reproductive Health for Young People in Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  In a major step forward for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy in Zimbabwe, My Age Zimbabwe has officially become a member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). This milestone solidifies the organization’s role in championing youth-centered SRHR initiatives and expanding access to essential health services. After joining IPPF as a collaborative partner in 2023, My Age has now assumed full member status in 2025. This development places the youth-led organization within a global network of SRHR-focused associations working towards a common goal: ensuring…

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New horizon beckons for Zim women…As Senate calls for Overhaul of existing Termination of Pregnancy Law

Healthtimes

Health  Correspondent When schools reopened in January this year, a headmaster in Mbire District experienced the shock of his life. 16 girls dropped out. Upon further inquiry by the education ministry, it was revealed that the majority of these students had left due to pregnancy. Elsewhere, several girls failed to return to class at the start of the term, with rural areas and mining communities being the most affected. Teenage pregnancy and child marriages remain critical issues in Zimbabwe, with recent statistics revealing alarming trends. In 2024 alone, approximately 5…

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Empowering the Press: How VCAT Trainings Are Equipping Journalists to Demystify Zimbabwe’s Abortion Laws

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Value Clarification and Attitudes Transformation (VCAT) training is a powerful tool that can help strengthen advocacy for abortion rights in Zimbabwe. By engaging journalists in critical discussions about the legal, cultural, and religious frameworks surrounding abortion, VCAT equips media professionals with the knowledge and sensitivity needed to report on the subject effectively. Zimbabwe’s Termination of Pregnancy Act (ToP) of 1977 is restrictive, allowing abortion only in specific circumstances, and many journalists have historically lacked the understanding to cover the topic accurately and sensitively. This knowledge gap…

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Health Portfolio Committee to Address Sanitary Wear Petition Next Week

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa For many schoolgirls in rural Zimbabwe, menstruation is more than just a biological process, it is a barrier to education. Rumbidzai Magwere, a schoolgirl from Mvurwi, knows this all too well. “There are no pads in our school. Sometimes my period starts while I’m in class, and I am unprepared. It is embarrassing to sit in spoiled clothes. I have no choice but to miss lessons and stay home until it’s over. This is affecting my studies because lessons do not stop just because one girl is…

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Frontline Warriors: The Women Battling Zimbabwe’s Unsafe Abortion Crisis

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe records an estimated 70,000 illegal abortions annually, primarily due to restrictive abortion laws. Currently, abortion is only legal under limited circumstances, such as when the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life, results from rape or incest, or involves severe fetal impairment. Most women do not qualify under these conditions. Other factors contributing to illegal abortions in Zimbabwe include stigma and cultural beliefs, unwanted and unintended pregnancies, economic hardship, limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, rape and incest cases, fear of legal consequences, and pressure from…

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