Zambia @ CSW60 by Oxfam In Zambia on Exposure

3000 Men March To End Violence Against Women and Girls In Zambia

The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL), Zambia Police Serve (ZP) and the Forum for African Women Educationalists of Zambia (FAWEZA) with support from Oxfam successfully marked the 2016 #16DaysOfActivism To End Violence Against Women and Girls globally through the #3000ManMarch which was held at Chawama Grounds on Saturday 21^st November in Lusaka.

The men’s march is held annually as part of the I Care About Her Campaign - an attitude change initiative that has mobilized over 7,000 men committed to taking action to stop violence against women in form of rape, defilements, beating and child marriages.

During the event, phase three of the I Care About Her Campaign was launched building on recommendations from an evaluation report which include partnering with the Ministry of Gender and Child Development on the HE 4 SHE campaign, strengthening the women’s movement, working with higher learning institutions as well as good role models like musician Brian Bwembya aka B Flow as the campaign ambassador.

In this phase, ongoing support to the Zambia Police Gender Desk and Victim Support Unit will continue as well as continuation of the popular live phone in radio and television programmes. To this effect, four television discussions and the I Care About Her Documentary were aired on Muvi TV during the activism weeks.

The 2015 16 Days Of Activism was particularly remarkable because the First African Girls’ Summit on Ending Child Marriages in Africa was held in Zambia. The summit attracted the support of H.E. President Edgar Lungu, the First Lady Esther Lungu, the Ethiopian and South African First Ladies, governments representatives, Nigerian actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, local and international civil society organisations.

Other activities during the #3000ManMarch included powerful theatrical performances by Zambia Police Nkwazi Theatre Group and poems by the I Care About Her Campaign peer educators from Kamulanga Secondary School with the highlight being the unveiling of the first ever I Care About Her campaign ambassador musician Brian Bwembya aka #BFLow

Accepting the recognition, BFlow said that he is proud to be the campaign ambassador because he wants young people to learn non violent behaviour and his fellow musicians to realise that music has the power to effect positive change. 

To end the event, BFlow took to the stage and performed anti GBV songs from his multiple awarding winning album Voiceless Woman.

Check out the photo album and click on the video to watch the short documentary:

Village Headman Seeks Justice For His Violated 12 Year Old Niece

#ICareAboutHerCampaign Champion Chrispin Simano is a Village Headman in Kazungula District. He shared this story with me (Misozi Tembo) during #16DaysofActivism

 

My niece was 10 years old when she was defiled by her brother in law. She is a double orphan, my late sister’s daughter. After my sister died, my eldest niece took the girl in question to live with her and her husband - committing to be responsible for her and sending her to school.

Unfortunately, my eldest niece’s husband used to defile my little niece and eventually impregnated her.

No one knew what that man was doing to my niece until the time elderly women noticed that she was failing to walk. Upon examining my niece, they discovered bruises on her body and that she was pregnant. Thereafter, the same women came and informed me of what had happened to my niece.

To say that I was angry and in shock is an understatement. I think "lost" is the right word. In that moment, had that man been near, I could have killed him but thankfully with the help of the community, we reported the matter to the police and the culprit was arrested and charged.

Unfortunately, the court dismissed the case stating lack of evidence. The community and I were shocked and very disappointed with the verdict. I don’t know what evidence they were looking for because my niece is physically and emotionally traumatized. She is now a mother at 12 years old.

Being part of the I Care About Her! Campaign men's discussion group has helped me deal with this tragedy and not give up on finding justice for my little girl. I will not rest until that man is jailed.

Author's Note: As a champion of women's rights, I am about fairness and equality. With this background, it took me a while to realize that whenever a girl or woman is defiled, raped, beaten or abused in any way, there's a man somewhere that is also violated. It could be a father, an uncle, brother, friend, husband, nephew or a son.

In most cases, men do not talk about their experience after a loved one is violated. This is mostly due to a sense of shame and failure; fear of being labelled as weak, pain or not finding the right space to express their emotions.

Its for this reason in my opinion that Zambia's I Care About Her Campaign is very important. It provides a great platform for good men to finally condemn violence against women and girls. It also calls and motivates them to take action to stop the violence in their homes, families, communities and work places. Implementing this campaign has taught me the following:

• Every woman is another man's daughter and most fathers think the world of their daughters.
• There are more good men than bad ones only the good ones are too silent.
• Men are interested in championing women's rights however, its important to identify the right messages for them.
• Men are easily influenced by other men than women.
• Most of the perpetrators of rape, defilement, beating, early marriages or child marriages are men. Therefore, using other men to engage them is a strategic approach.
• Men in most societies hold too much power and it is important for them to learn to use this power as a way of taking action to stop violence against women and girls.
• Women also celebrate wrong things and perpetrate violence.
• Violence Against Women and Girls is not only a women's rights issue, it is a human rights issue.

Press Release

For Immediate Release
[Livingstone, 1^st December 2014] 

Oxfam and partners officially launch the “I Care About Her!” Campaign In Kazungula and Namwala Districts as part of 16 Days of activism

 

The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children is a United Nations campaign that takes place annually from 25 November until 10 December. 

This year, Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL), FAWEZA and the Zambia Police Service with support from Oxfam have launched the I Care About Her! Campaign in two districts namely Kazungula and Namwala districts today 1^st December 2014 and on Wednesday 3^rd December 2014 respectively.

The I Care About Her! Campaign which was officially launched in November 2012 aims to mobilize men across the country in order to increase their role in condemning and stopping violence against women and girls. 

This campaign has proven to be an ideal platform for good men who have been silent for too long to come out, voice their thoughts and act together to stop defilement, rape, early marriages and beating. 

The I Care About Her! Campaign has been running for the past three years beginning with mobilizing over 500 Men March in 2012 and 3000 Men March in Lusaka, Choma, Mazubuka, Rufunsa and Kafue districts. The campaign has also used the media through live radio and television discussions featuring male panellists on MUVI TV, ZNBC TV Radio 2 and several Community radio stations. 

In 2013, the grassroot campaign was launched in Lusaka’s Linda Compound thereafter, implementations of grassroot campaigns started in Choma, Mazubuka, Rufunsa and Kafue districts.The I Care About Her! Grassroot Campaign involves training men on attitudes that propagate violence and on how to take action to stop violence against women and girls. The trained men then go on to train other men in their respective communities.  The central theme is preparing a better world for their daughters.

The training also extended to working with the Zambia Police Service and over 1000 officers have been trained as champions and they have gone on to reach over 5000 officers. 

The campaign was also initiated in twenty schools across five provinces and twenty teachers have been trained as community champions. 

This far we have seen growing enthusiasm among men and boys to stop the violence, improvement in the handling of cases within the Police Service, and greater enthusiasm from the general public to role out the campaign to their areas.  It has also offered hope to a lot of victims of violence to report their cases – they have someone in the form of the champions to listen to them.

We would like to call for more men and boys to join the campaign and be prepared to root out violence in the community you leave – knowing that it is all about the future of your daughters.  They can hope for a better world because you are there for them. 

 

We would also like to call on all men and women that sit on the route to justice for victims of violence to support and facilitate access to justice because it is the route that all the women you care for will use.  Together, we can transform the society we live in.                                                                        

For more information please like our facebook page: I Care About Her Campaign and follow us on Tweeter @ICareAboutHer

For more details contact:
Misozi Tembo
Media and Communications Coordinator
E-mail: mtembo@oxfam.org.uk

Kazungula Launch

The I Care About Her! Campaign was successfully launched in Kazungula on Monday 1st December 2014. Over 200 men turned up to march a distance of 3.5 kilometers and vowed to stop the beatings, defilement, rape and early marriages in Kazungula. #16DaysOfActivism #EndViolenceAgainstWomenandGirlsThe I Care About Her! Campaign was successfully launched in Kazungula. Over 200 men turned up to march a distance of 3.5 kilometers and vowed to stop the beatings, defilement, rape and early marriages in Kazungula. #16DaysOfActivism #EndViolenceAgainstWomenandGirls

Zambian Male Musicians Inducted Into The Campaign

Oxfam and partners held an orientation workshop for fifty male musicians in April at Mulungushi Conference Centre, Lusaka. The orientation was a safe space for the musicians to express themselves and share their experiences and how they can proactively participate in the campaign. 

Oxfam Gender Justice Coordinator Emmanuel Ngulube said, “we want to work with you because you are influential and relevant, with capability to positively influence thousands of men and young boys looking to you for guidance”.  

Musician B Flow also shared that he is passionate about addressing violence against women and girls such that he had produced an awarding winning album about it. 

Another musician,  Abel Chungu added that “we have to understand that we have a lot of power as musicians and people follow us without persuasion and therefore, we have to start using this power to positively change people’s attitudes and beliefs”.  

The workshop was successful in that the male musicians are keen to be champions of the I Care About Her! Campaign.

 

Musician B Flow also shared that he is passionate about addressing violence against women and girls such that he had produced an awarding winning album about it. 

Another musician,  Abel Chungu added that “we have to understand that we have a lot of power as musicians and people follow us without persuasion and therefore, we have to start using this power to positively change people’s attitudes and beliefs”. 

The workshop was successful in that the male musicians are keen to be champions of the I Care About Her! Campaign.

Programme Review Highlights