TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE PEACE IN ZIMBABWE
Enhancing women’s civic participation
Across Zimbabwe, growing collaboration among government institutions, civil society, and development
partners is strengthening efforts to enhance women’s participation in public life and eliminate all forms of
violence against women, including those emerging on digital platforms. Drawing from the Zimbabwe Peace
Project’s engagements with the Ministry of Women Affairs, UN Women, and academic partners such as Arrupe
Jesuit University (AJU), including the commemorations of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security
supported by UN Women, and the AJU’s Women’s Empowerment Conference marking the start of the 16 Days of
Activism, there is clear evidence of an encouraging national commitment to elevating women as leaders in
community peacebuilding and civic participation.
These initiatives are timely and necessary. Despite significant progress, less than 40% of women who
experience violence ever report it, and even fewer pursue formal support services. This silence is compounded
by rising cases of technology-facilitated abuse, including online harassment, non-consensual sharing of
personal information, stalking, and targeted political disinformation that discourages women from engaging
publicly or seeking leadership roles.
As digital spaces increasingly shape civic participation, the risks women face, both online and offline, must be
understood as interconnected. Zimbabwe’s National Action Plan and other strategic policy frameworks
therefore play a critical role. Such frameworks must address the structural and cultural barriers that restrict
women’s participation, strengthen mechanisms for reporting and response, and explicitly incorporate
safeguards against technology-based violence. Such policies should integrate digital literacy, accountability
frameworks for online platforms, and survivor-centred support systems that recognise the unique vulnerabilities
women encounter.
The collective work seen throughout the 16 Days of Activism highlights that sustainable peace and inclusive
governance cannot be achieved without safe, accessible, and empowering spaces for women. Continued
collaboration, robust policy implementation, and investment in both community-level and digital safety
initiatives are essential to ensuring that women in Zimbabwe can participate freely, equally, and without fear.
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