Part 1: Introduction 1.1 Context of GBV in Zimbabwe Violence against women and girls remains prevalent with the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (2010-11) estimating that 30 percent of Zimbabwean women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence; 27 percent have experienced sexual violence, 90 percent of which was committed by a current or former husband, partner, or boyfriend; and, only 37 percent of women who experienced physical or sexual violence sought help (ZIMSTAT, 2012, p.251). Girls continue to be at risk of early marriages where 31 percent of Zimbabwean girls are reported to get married before the age of 18 (Research Advocacy Unit: March 2014). Reportedly, women continue to be oppressed within religious sects the latest being the Apostolic (Vapostori) sect which is reported to be using religion to treat women and girls as nothing more than objects for their satisfaction.2 This comes when the nation is still recovering from the Gumbura saga where a religious leader reportedly raped and abused women congregants with impunity. Poverty among women continues to make them desperate and vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous religious leaders. In the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, the percentage of women who experienced violence in the last 12 months has decreased from 18.4 percent in 2010 to 14.5 percent in 2015, which seems to indicate an improvement, according to key findings of the 2015 ZDHS. At the same time, there is an increase in the percentage of women who report having experienced violence in their lifetime (from 29.9 percent in 2010 to 34.8 percent in 2015). More research is needed to understand patterns and confirm a possible downward trend. The most commonly reported perpetrator is the current or former husband or partner. More than one in three women have experienced physical violence since the age of 151. The percentage of women 15-49 who have experienced physical violence in the last 12 months has significantly decreased in Mashonaland Central Province, from 23.5 percent in 2010 to 15 percent in 2015. However, further analysis is needed, but, taking into consideration the intensity of GBV prevention interventions in this area, this data might indicate the effectiveness of the prevention programmes. The 2015 ZDHS survey showed that one woman in two without an education has experienced spousal violence. The 2015 ZDHS confirms that violence against women and girls is rife in Zimbabwe and affects all women, regardless of geographic location, wealth or education. It also indicates that women empowered by tertiary education have less risk although it still affects one in five of the most educated. 2 ZWLA Press Statement (10 July 2014): “Abuse of the Rights of Women and Children in the “Vapositori Sect.”