Press Release

For Immediate Release
[Livingstone, 1^st December 2014] 

Oxfam and partners officially launch the “I Care About Her!” Campaign In Kazungula and Namwala Districts as part of 16 Days of activism

 

The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children is a United Nations campaign that takes place annually from 25 November until 10 December. 

This year, Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL), FAWEZA and the Zambia Police Service with support from Oxfam have launched the I Care About Her! Campaign in two districts namely Kazungula and Namwala districts today 1^st December 2014 and on Wednesday 3^rd December 2014 respectively.

The I Care About Her! Campaign which was officially launched in November 2012 aims to mobilize men across the country in order to increase their role in condemning and stopping violence against women and girls. 

This campaign has proven to be an ideal platform for good men who have been silent for too long to come out, voice their thoughts and act together to stop defilement, rape, early marriages and beating. 

The I Care About Her! Campaign has been running for the past three years beginning with mobilizing over 500 Men March in 2012 and 3000 Men March in Lusaka, Choma, Mazubuka, Rufunsa and Kafue districts. The campaign has also used the media through live radio and television discussions featuring male panellists on MUVI TV, ZNBC TV Radio 2 and several Community radio stations. 

In 2013, the grassroot campaign was launched in Lusaka’s Linda Compound thereafter, implementations of grassroot campaigns started in Choma, Mazubuka, Rufunsa and Kafue districts.The I Care About Her! Grassroot Campaign involves training men on attitudes that propagate violence and on how to take action to stop violence against women and girls. The trained men then go on to train other men in their respective communities.  The central theme is preparing a better world for their daughters.

The training also extended to working with the Zambia Police Service and over 1000 officers have been trained as champions and they have gone on to reach over 5000 officers. 

The campaign was also initiated in twenty schools across five provinces and twenty teachers have been trained as community champions. 

This far we have seen growing enthusiasm among men and boys to stop the violence, improvement in the handling of cases within the Police Service, and greater enthusiasm from the general public to role out the campaign to their areas.  It has also offered hope to a lot of victims of violence to report their cases – they have someone in the form of the champions to listen to them.

We would like to call for more men and boys to join the campaign and be prepared to root out violence in the community you leave – knowing that it is all about the future of your daughters.  They can hope for a better world because you are there for them. 

 

We would also like to call on all men and women that sit on the route to justice for victims of violence to support and facilitate access to justice because it is the route that all the women you care for will use.  Together, we can transform the society we live in.                                                                        

For more information please like our facebook page: I Care About Her Campaign and follow us on Tweeter @ICareAboutHer

For more details contact:
Misozi Tembo
Media and Communications Coordinator
E-mail: mtembo@oxfam.org.uk

Kazungula Launch

The I Care About Her! Campaign was successfully launched in Kazungula on Monday 1st December 2014. Over 200 men turned up to march a distance of 3.5 kilometers and vowed to stop the beatings, defilement, rape and early marriages in Kazungula. #16DaysOfActivism #EndViolenceAgainstWomenandGirlsThe I Care About Her! Campaign was successfully launched in Kazungula. Over 200 men turned up to march a distance of 3.5 kilometers and vowed to stop the beatings, defilement, rape and early marriages in Kazungula. #16DaysOfActivism #EndViolenceAgainstWomenandGirls

Zambian Male Musicians Inducted Into The Campaign

Oxfam and partners held an orientation workshop for fifty male musicians in April at Mulungushi Conference Centre, Lusaka. The orientation was a safe space for the musicians to express themselves and share their experiences and how they can proactively participate in the campaign. 

Oxfam Gender Justice Coordinator Emmanuel Ngulube said, “we want to work with you because you are influential and relevant, with capability to positively influence thousands of men and young boys looking to you for guidance”.  

Musician B Flow also shared that he is passionate about addressing violence against women and girls such that he had produced an awarding winning album about it. 

Another musician,  Abel Chungu added that “we have to understand that we have a lot of power as musicians and people follow us without persuasion and therefore, we have to start using this power to positively change people’s attitudes and beliefs”.  

The workshop was successful in that the male musicians are keen to be champions of the I Care About Her! Campaign.

 

Musician B Flow also shared that he is passionate about addressing violence against women and girls such that he had produced an awarding winning album about it. 

Another musician,  Abel Chungu added that “we have to understand that we have a lot of power as musicians and people follow us without persuasion and therefore, we have to start using this power to positively change people’s attitudes and beliefs”. 

The workshop was successful in that the male musicians are keen to be champions of the I Care About Her! Campaign.

Programme Review Highlights

Cards For Discussions

Our Work With The Zambia Police Service

The Campaign In Schools

I Care About Her! Campaign Launched In Schools

Oxfam has partnered with the Forum For African Women Educationists of Zambia (FAWEZA) with the aim of rolling out the campaign to schools. The project was officially launched on 24 April 2014 by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education Mr. Chishimba Nkosha at Lusaka Secondary School.

Mr. Nkosha said that the challenge of gender based violence was real and the campaign is useful in bringing on board boys and men as champions for girls rights and their participation in education. He said, “it is time for our communities and all the stake holders to demonstrate the commitment to change the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs not just in word but also in action”. He said that he was very happy that the campaign was targeting boys as they will eventually become men and through the campaign, they will develop positive attitudes that will protect girls from the risk of rape, early pregnancies and child marriages. 

 

Addressing the boys, Oxfam Country Director, Mrs Nellie Nyang’wa said, “boys you are going to be men in 10 years and we expect you to be positive change agents. We believe in you and we are committed to providing you with the support you need”.  She also thanked the Zambian government particularly the Ministry of Gender and Zambia Police for their support in implementing the campaign.

And FAWEZA Board Chairperson Lillian E.L. Kapulu urged civil society organisations to be innovative in order to protect girls and ensure their participation in education.

The Videos

Supporters

The Grassroots Campaign Launch

LINDA COMMUNITY HOSTS THE LAUNCH OF

“I CARE ABOUT HER!” GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN 

The afternoon of Friday 27th September was very inspiring. The people of Linda Compound in Lusaka came out in numbers to witness the launch of the “I Care About Her!” grassroots campaign at their community hall. Men and women even boys and girls were all present eager to learn more about stopping defilement, rape, beating and any activities that demean women in their community.

The launch was facilitated by Young Women’s Christian Association and Women’s Lobby Men’s Networks, Women in Law Southern Africa and Panos Institute of Southern Africa with support from Oxfam. 

The guest of honour was the Deputy Inspector General of the Zambia Police, Dr. Solomon Jere. A passionate ambassador of the campaign, Dr. Jere demonstrated through role plays what violence against women is and the role of the police.

He also shared a moving story of how the previous day the police picked up a body of a woman that had been beaten to death over a meal she had prepared. He said,“this woman had been killed by her husband  for having cooked vegetables. Sitting next to the body was a little girl crying for her mother to wake up. Imagine the the trauma and loss this child has been subjected to? She has lost her mother and father in horrible circumstances and her future is bleak because her providers are no more. Do you want this to happen to your children? If you don’t, then stop beating your wife.”

 Dr. Jere also informed the meeting that any form of violence against women is a serious offence that is not bail-able and comes with a heavy sentence. He urged the men present to learn non-violent ways of resolving conflict by joining the campaign.

At the same meeting, Francis Mbuluma testified of how seeking counseling has transformed him. He said that he was ashamed that he used to beat his wife at times for no apparent reason because he didn’t know better. Mbuluma urged men to stop beating their wives and commit to being good and responsible men. Today, Mbuluma is a community leader who is influencing other men in the community to join the “I Care About Her!” campaign. He concluded by saying, “I am actually a happy man than before”.

Woman Reports Husband to the DIG 

After The Launch Dr. Jere responding to the woman who reported her husband after the launch.
Both programmes are now in their fourth week of broadcast and the topics that have been discussed include: A Call To Men To Take Action On Stopping Violence Against Women as well as The Impact Of Rape and Defilement of Women and Girls on Fathers or Male Relations. Feedback from mostly male telephone callers is that the programme is very relevant and timely. One caller, Benson Bwalya from Northern Province said, “it is refreshing to see ordinary men on live TV making a strong stand on protecting women and girls, this is definitely the right step in creating a safe and violent free Zambia”. I Care About Her! Champions Are talking again common. Dr. Jere said that in most cases when a spouse is reported to the police by the wife, and then she later drops the charges, the abuser even gets more violent. Dr. Jere said he would be making changes at the station to improve the han-dling of GBV cases. He left his direct contact details with the woman and a number of community members to report unhelpful police officers to him directly.

The Men's Stories

Name:  Phenias Kamanga

District: NAMWALA, Southern Province

Age:  23

Marital Status: Married with 2 daughters and a boy.

For close to four years, I used to beat my wife. We fought a lot most probably because we both used to abused alcohol. We fought about ridiculous things like us suspicion and jealous issues. We didn’t respect nor trust each other. There was a time when we fought the whole night because my wife wanted to grab my phone and call all numbers in my phonebook. It’s shameful.

Joining the I Care About Her! Campaign discussion group has changed my life especially how I interact with women in my life. From the discussions, I am learning how to manage my temper and avoid fighting with my wife. I used to lose my temper over small arguments but now I am able to hold my temper, every time am provoked. I have learnt to listen and not rush into beating my wife. 

The discussions with other men in the I Care About Her Men’s Group are engaging and address real issues. They have helped me understand that there is no justification for fighting and that women have rights and feelings just like men. 

Two years ago, a close friend here in Namwala was sentenced to prison for killing a wife over the type of food she had cooked. This incident really shook me up and was one of the reasons I sort to join the men’s discussion group. 

I know that had I not join the I Care About Her! Campaign, I would probably be in prison right now. I am so thankful for this campaign and that it has been rolled out in this district. The initiative is good because it has generated an interesting debate among men in this community on the rights of our wives and daughters.

Name:  Crazy Shipopa

District: NAMWALA, Southern Province

Age:  61

Marital Status: Married with 5 daughters and a boy.

I am trained champion of the I Care About Her campaign. My past is very colorful – just very bad. I am ashamed to confess that I used to beat my wife and my children. It got so bad that at one time, my in laws demanded that we break up as a result of my cruelty. Luckily for me, the elders in our village counseled me and the matter was resolved. 

To me, the introduction of the I Care About Her Discussion Group in Namwala was a timely intervention. When I heard about the campaign, I asked the Facilitator of the group if I could join and he welcomed me. I feel privileged to be one of the first ones to be trained as a Champion. 

The training helped me to start reflecting on the image I had about women – what I have been taught and what I believed. It took me about three days of introspection and gradually, I begun to see to o see myself for what I was - not just a cruel man but a cruel human being. 

The training changed me. Having the discussions with other men, the messages on the cards and learning from men who don’t beat their wives helped me a lot. I felt different like I was reborn. The training helped me understand that my wife and women in general are just as important as I am. I wouldn’t want my daughters abused by their husbands the way I was abusing their mother. 

When the training ended, I decided to start teaching other men about what I learnt. I have my own group. When I began talking to my group members, I used to feel embarrassed and guilty especially that some of the members in my focus group are close friends who knew my past but I persevered. 

One day, my wife came across the I Care About Her discussion cards and asked me what they were meant for. When I started explaining to her, her face brightened up and her eyes filled with tears of joy. Today, my lifestyle and home has really changed – we are very happy and it gives me great joy hear my children laughing. My wife and I give our children equal responsibilities and make plans together –like the monthly budget. When one of our children was ill, I took her to the hospital. I never used to do that – I would leave that to my wife. I have made my wife my companion not my property. Had it not been for the knowledge I got from the I Care About Her training, I would not be the man I am today – the man I have started to like and respect.   

  

Name:  JOHN JAMBA

District: NAMWALA, Southern Province

Age:  61

Marital Status: Married with 6 children and 5 grandchildren.

I joined the I Care About Her! Campaign last year after being introduced to the men’s discussion group by a friend because gender based violence is rife in my community and it is a vice that has been growing but has not been dealt with effectively. I have witnessed so many killings and family breakups as result of GBV. This is one of the reasons I was compelled to be part of this initiative when it was introduced in Namwala. I felt that I needed to play a role in creating a better society for my grandchildren and the generation to come as a man. 

This district has  a lot of perpetrators of GBV and traditional beliefs such as lobola (bride price) perpetuate it. We, the ILA people believe in huge payment of lobola and this make us men to regard our wives as our possessions. We need a lot of sensitization especially in the far flung places in Namwala district and surrounding villages. A lot of bad acts are happening and they are supported by the community as part of their way of life. 

In this part of Namwala, the I Care About Her! Campaign has started to open up our minds. The discussions in the men’s group allow for a deeper understanding of women’s rights and our role as men and boys. Today, members of the discussion group are not involved in beating their spouses because they are not only held accountable but also understand that there better ways of resolving conflict. In fact, men who are not even part of our discussions come to consult us on how to handle issues in their homes or community. 

However, this is not the case in far flung villages. That’s why we need more support so that we can plant one or two champions in each village.I remember when we just started the discussions, most men our community used to look down on us. They discouraged us from attending the meetings which were held on a weekly basis. But I my commitment to ensure that my daughters and grandchildren have a violent free future motive me to continue learning. 

This campaign is special and life changing because men are finally involved in what is has always been perceived as women’s issues. This programme has the right message and we intend to take this message to all the men and boys in the district.