ActionAid Zimbabwe is spearheading the Safe Cities for Women and Girls Campaign Programme together with the Safe Cities Campaign Network of Zimbabwe (SCCNZ) which is comprised of various organizations as well as individual supporters. The campaign is aimed at making women and girls aware that the violence they experience in public spaces is a violation of human rights and change the attitude of boys and men to treat women and girls with dignity and protect women and girls from violence in public spaces. The goal is to have women’s fear and experience of sexual violence in cities and urban spaces reduced. Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) and Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA) who are the implementing partners of the She Can project which is part of the broader Safe Cities Campaign but with a focus on promoting their safety, mobility, access to justice and gender responsive public services. A total of 156 volunteers were trained by SAYWHAT and ZWLA. However they are working with 106 active volunteers who have formed a total of 32 Reflection action groups which comprise of 8-10 people.
The following are stories from the Safe Cities community volunteers from Chitungwiza verbatim as they speak out on how they have contributed to change in their communities with regards to the safety of women in public spaces in Chitungwiza.