ย  ย  ย  ย  An awareness meeting on GBV in progress

As cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) continue to make headlines at national level, it has been observed that these cases may occur anywhere. It is perceived that any rising labor influx and employment opportunities within a particular area can yield various social afflictions, gender-based violence (GBV) inclusive.

The Contractor for the construction of the Shire Valley Irrigation Scheme, Conduril, has employed over 400 people. There are prospects that the company will employ more, news that delights the local community. But as communities look at social economic benefits from the project, there is also a risk of rising cases of GBV.ย  A proactive intervention is therefore necessary.

It is against this backdrop that the SVTP GBV Service Provider Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace-Chikwawa has been conducting outreach campaigns targeting construction workers on GBV issues.

Conduril having realized the importance of issues of GBV and child protection mobilized workers for these special sessions.

So far two sessions have been undertaken.ย  One session was an awareness meeting involving all workers at the same time and the other a tool box talk where construction workers were divided into smaller groups.

Speaking during one of the sessions, Team Leader for the Service Provider, Fr. Mathews Semba advised workers to break the silence and persistently report GBV cases and refrain from perpetrating the same.

โ€œThe fight against GBV begins with speaking out once victimized. We want you to report any case and refrain from perpetrating abuse. The money you are getting should be used to develop yourselves and your families and not indulging in practices that will jeopardize your lives and those of people in this area,โ€ he said.

A Workers Committee has been established to handle all labour and GBV related issues.ย  The contractor and the Service Provider facilitated the election of 12-member executive committee which was trained by the Service Provider and the District Labour Office on their role.ย  The contractor also trained them on grievance reporting.ย  A workplan and a constitution was developed to guide the committeeโ€™s operations.

We have been equipped with the much-needed knowledge to detect GBV cases and labour rights violations. We are now aware of the steps we can take if such cases arise.One of the executive members, Mr. Laston Andsen described the training as worthwhile and very enriching.

The engagement with the construction workers was complemented by a series of mobile van sensitizations to the surrounding communities. 93 community volunteers (GBV Champions) including 53 men and 40 women from the five traditional authorities have been trained in GBV surveillance and reporting in the bid to scale up community-based efforts in the fight against GBV.ย  Two champions were identified from each village and given a mobile phone to enable them to report cases of GBV to the One-Stop Centre and the Service Provider.

The Programme will continue engaging different stakeholders including construction workers and communities to ensure GBV detention, prevention and mitigation.