Recommendations and Conclusion
Zimbabwe Peace Project
Recommendations to the Zimbabwean Civil Society
Civil society and government must raise awareness on VAWP and its ramifications
for women participation in politics. Awareness raising has been shown to challenge
the harmful social norms that propel gender-based violence and to support
positive norms. Awareness raising could target the general public through, for
example, radio programs, roadshows and outreaches on VAWP
Civil society should strengthen the knowledge and capacities of law enforcement
agencies and the judiciary, such as police officers, prosecutors and magistrates, in
investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of VAWP
Civil
society
must
implement
survivor-sensitive
and
human
rights-based
approaches to provide healing to survivors of VAWP
Civil society must train political parties and leaders on VAWP
Civil society must take interventions meant to address the patriarchal control
tendencies that fuel the gender and social norms that undermine women's
participation in politics. Further research is needed to identify the most effective
methods for such interventions.
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Civil-society organisations should strengthen the digital literacy skills of women
politicians and activists to effectively counter online VAWP. These skills could
include the ability to secure their accounts and to report and block accounts,
including ghost accounts that perpetrate gendered misinformation, disinformation
and mal-information
Civil-society
organisations
should
extend
psychosocial
support
to
women
survivors of VAWP to minimise its negative impacts on their emotional health and
wellbeing.
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