The Harare Institute of Technology joined the world in commemorating 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence running from Friday 25 November 2022, under the theme: “Enhancing the Inclusion of Youths in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence – Together We can Stand and Fight Against GBV”.

This years global commemorations are running under the theme “Orange the World, End Violence against Women Now!” Zimbabwe has coined the theme as Orange the World, “End Violence against Women Now – No to Child Marriage!”

The campaign runs from the 25th of November – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to the 10th of December – the Human Rights Day. This is a period to highlight, appreciate and honour efforts and sacrifices, by individuals and institutions, towards prevention and elimination of all forms of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in general and violence against women and girls in particular.

The campus activities are being coordinated by the Student Affairs Division in collaboration with the Library and Information Services, 3 Plus and UNSECO.

The activities were held at the Marimba Shopping Mall and the HIT Campus.

The commemorations come at a time when statistics of victims of Gender-Based Violence have been soaring globally due to the COVID-19 induced lockdowns. In as much as the restrictions were intended to prevent widespread infection, it adversely increased the vulnerability of women and girls to violence. Some survivors of gender based violence were trapped with their abusers as they were confined to their homes with limited personal movement.

The lockdowns also witnessed many victims facing challenges in accessing justice which has been a great cause of concern. The movement restrictions resulted in some cases being reported late or not reported at all. The courts were also inaccessible to some people as they operated at a reduced level, often attending only to urgent cases.