Midlands State University (MSU) first year students were on Saturday 29 May 2021 capacitated with information on gender rights and gender-based violence (GBV) as a way of reducing the increasing number of domestic abuses in the country.
This comes in the wake of an increase in child marriages and violence against women and girls in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her remarks, MSU Students Representative Council (SRC) Minister of Gender Nyasha Mhonda said it was crucial for first level students to be trained on GBV.
“I saw it fit to have a training on GBV for first level students although they conducted an almost similar programme during their orientation week. I felt that there was a need to further empower our student body hence I organised a GBV campaign,” she said.
“We did this to ensure that students are aware of the services and policies that are provided by the institution to curb issues of GBV.”
Mhonda added that they had engaged many stakeholders within the institution to assist in raising GBV awareness.
“We have engaged the MSU Gender Institute, the Health Services department and the Counseling Services department. These departments have been having different sessions with students on GBV for the past week,” she said.
“We engaged the Film and Theatre Arts department so that they can disseminate information on GBV through entertainment and drama. The major thrust is to ensure that all students receive information on GBV particularly all first level students.”
Cases of GBV in the country have increased drastically due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and students have not been spared from the associated vices.
Mhonda said the initiative was not only being carried out in Zvishavane but was also spread across all the University’s campuses.
The Zvishavane based Film & Theatre Arts department gave a scintillating performance that kept audiences entertained and informed throughout the campaign.
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