The Zimbabwean government has called for a coordinated national effort to end violence against children urging families, communities and institutions to work together to strengthen child protection systems.
Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Edgar Moyo said protecting children was a collective responsibility that required the involvement of all sectors of society.
Speaking at the National Preparatory Meeting for the Second Global Ministerial Summit on Ending Violence Against Children, Moyo said a whole-of-society approach was essential to ensuring children’s safety and well-being.
“We need to have a whole society approach in making us do this, because children belong to every person in society,” he said.
Moyo outlined five government priorities for strengthening child protection: creating safe environments, improving laws and policies, supporting parents and caregivers, strengthening response services and ensuring sustainable financing.
He said the priorities were interconnected and required coordinated action to deliver meaningful results.
“Evidence has shown that these priorities depend on one another,” he said.
The minister stressed the importance of supporting parents and caregivers to provide children with proper care and protection, adding that families needed greater assistance to fulfil their responsibilities.
“We require responsible parents. Regarding parent and caregiver support, I have already indicated that we need to strengthen that area,” Moyo said.
He also called for alternative methods of disciplining children that would protect them from violence and abuse.
“We need to find other forms of parents and caregivers to discipline children,” he said.
As part of efforts to improve access to child protection services, Moyo said the government was deploying 20 community social workers across 10 districts under the Child Protection Fund Framework, with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The initiative is intended to bring services closer to families and improve the capacity of communities to identify and respond to cases of abuse.
Moyo said children’s safety must also extend to digital spaces, where they face risks including cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and other forms of online abuse.
“Children must be safe in every setting, including online,” he said.
He added that the Online Protection Policy would guide ministries, departments and agencies in preventing and responding to online abuse, including cyberbullying and sextortion.
The minister said effective child protection also depended on stronger cooperation among institutions, sustained investment and greater emphasis on preventing violence before it occurred.
“The government is committed to child-friendly practices and increased investment in prevention and response. Public resources are essential and central, and we are also pursuing public-private partnerships,” he said.
Moyo said ending violence against children required strong families, effective laws, safe schools and communities, accessible support services and reliable funding.