Awareness campaigns as survival tools in the fight against gender-based violence in peri-urban communities of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe

Most of Zimbabwe’s urban settlements owe their existence to mining activities; hence most peri-urban communities around Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city, are mining communities. However, research in these mining communities has shown that there is little focus on the strengthening of communi...

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Main Authors: Glory Damba, Wilfred Lunga, Charles Musarurwa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2013-04-01
Series:Jàmbá
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/83
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author Glory Damba
Wilfred Lunga
Charles Musarurwa
author_facet Glory Damba
Wilfred Lunga
Charles Musarurwa
author_sort Glory Damba
collection DOAJ
description Most of Zimbabwe’s urban settlements owe their existence to mining activities; hence most peri-urban communities around Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city, are mining communities. However, research in these mining communities has shown that there is little focus on the strengthening of community dynamics that help members to cope with the challenges associated with Gender-Based Violence. Psychosocial support rarely arrives in time to effectively cover gaps left by traditional coping strategies. This paper presents and discusses experiences and insights accumulated from awareness campaigns meant to sensitise people about the nature and scope of gender-based violence. This article is a culmination of focus group discussions, informal interviews and participant observation as efforts were made towards capacity building for community members’ abilities to identify forms of risky behaviour associated with gender-based violence, and the appropriate actions members could take should they find themselves in such situations. In short, this article discusses the conceptualisation of domestic and gender violence as a risk, forms of gender-based violence, the rationale behind campaigns to reduce the internalisation of gender-based violence, and challenges faced in inculcating behaviour change efforts.
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spelling doaj.art-a1a5c0ae93d24e13947170bef2d85d862022-12-22T02:40:16ZengAOSISJàmbá1996-14212072-845X2013-04-0152e1e510.4102/jamba.v5i2.8378Awareness campaigns as survival tools in the fight against gender-based violence in peri-urban communities of Bulawayo in ZimbabweGlory Damba0Wilfred Lunga1Charles Musarurwa2Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community DevelopmentAfrican Centre for Disaster Studies, North West UniversityDepartment of Languages and Social Sciences Education, University of BotswanaMost of Zimbabwe’s urban settlements owe their existence to mining activities; hence most peri-urban communities around Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city, are mining communities. However, research in these mining communities has shown that there is little focus on the strengthening of community dynamics that help members to cope with the challenges associated with Gender-Based Violence. Psychosocial support rarely arrives in time to effectively cover gaps left by traditional coping strategies. This paper presents and discusses experiences and insights accumulated from awareness campaigns meant to sensitise people about the nature and scope of gender-based violence. This article is a culmination of focus group discussions, informal interviews and participant observation as efforts were made towards capacity building for community members’ abilities to identify forms of risky behaviour associated with gender-based violence, and the appropriate actions members could take should they find themselves in such situations. In short, this article discusses the conceptualisation of domestic and gender violence as a risk, forms of gender-based violence, the rationale behind campaigns to reduce the internalisation of gender-based violence, and challenges faced in inculcating behaviour change efforts.https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/83domestic violencewomenpreventionawarenesshealth problems
spellingShingle Glory Damba
Wilfred Lunga
Charles Musarurwa
Awareness campaigns as survival tools in the fight against gender-based violence in peri-urban communities of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe
Jàmbá
domestic violence
women
prevention
awareness
health problems
title Awareness campaigns as survival tools in the fight against gender-based violence in peri-urban communities of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe
title_full Awareness campaigns as survival tools in the fight against gender-based violence in peri-urban communities of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe
title_fullStr Awareness campaigns as survival tools in the fight against gender-based violence in peri-urban communities of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe
title_full_unstemmed Awareness campaigns as survival tools in the fight against gender-based violence in peri-urban communities of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe
title_short Awareness campaigns as survival tools in the fight against gender-based violence in peri-urban communities of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe
title_sort awareness campaigns as survival tools in the fight against gender based violence in peri urban communities of bulawayo in zimbabwe
topic domestic violence
women
prevention
awareness
health problems
url https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/83
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AT charlesmusarurwa awarenesscampaignsassurvivaltoolsinthefightagainstgenderbasedviolenceinperiurbancommunitiesofbulawayoinzimbabwe