Empowering women and girls in Zimbabwe: 5 things you should know from our UN Submission

Zimbabwe is at a crucial moment in its journey toward gender equality. Although the government has introduced legal and policy reforms, women and girls still face widespread discrimination, violence, and marginalisation. 

The United Nations Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls (WGDAWG) core mandate is to intensify efforts to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls throughout the world, and for Zimbabwe to reassess its progress towards realising the rights enshrined in the Maputo Protocol and other treaties. The WGDAWG undertook an official visit to Zimbabwe from 28 July 2025 -8 August 2025. 

Equality Now, along with the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association, Women and Law in Southern Africa, and the Centre for Human Rights, submitted a joint report highlighting the state of women’s and girls’ rights in the country. This submission will inform the WGDAWG’s final report to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2026. 

The Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe is hosted a consultation for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on 29 July 2025. Equality Now was represented by Sally Ncube, the Regional Representative for Southern Africa, and Amanda Manyame, the Digital Rights Advisor. 

The report offers a comprehensive overview of both the progress made and the ongoing challenges and recommendations for the Government of Zimbabwe’s consideration to achieve gender equality in Zimbabwe. It urges the Government of Zimbabwe to expedite meaningful reforms and ensure that constitutional guarantees translate into fundamental protections and services for women and girls.

Here are five key takeaways that everyone should know: 

1. Child marriage remains a challenge

Zimbabwe has updated its marriage laws to match the constitution by raising the minimum marriage age to 18 through the Marriages Act (Chapter 5:17). Despite this progress, about 34% of girls in Zimbabwe still face child marriage. In May 2025, Women and Law in Southern Africa (WiLSA) and Equality Now launched a study that exposed the gravity of child marriage and conveyed a strong case for protection and support for victims and survivors of child marriage. The study focused on Epworth, a densely populated area in Harare with an estimated population of over 200,000 people. 

2. Violence against women and girls is systemic

One in three women in Zimbabwe has a lifetime experience of gender-based violence (GBV). Many girls and women feel unsafe in places where they should feel protected, such as schools and religious institutions. Survivors often find it difficult to access justice or support services, particularly in rural areas. Although laws like the Domestic Violence Act and the Cyber and Data Protection Act are in place, their enforcement is limited, particularly when it comes to protection from Tech-facilitated gender-based violence.

3. Women are still economically marginalised

Women, particularly those in rural areas, play a crucial role in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector; however, they face significant barriers when accessing credit, land, and economic opportunities. Despite being disproportionately affected by environmental shocks, they remain largely excluded from climate change decision-making and adaptation strategies.

4. Access to health and education is uneven

Despite Zimbabwe’s Constitution guaranteeing the right to health, public health funding remains below the 15% target established by the Abuja Declaration. Adolescent girls encounter significant barriers in accessing maternal care, contraception, and comprehensive sexuality education.

5. The gender digital divide is growing

Women and girls in Zimbabwe face significant barriers to internet access and digital skills, restricting their opportunities to participate in the digital economy, access justice, and engage in civic life. Despite national efforts to promote women’s participation in economic and social life, limited access to digital technologies, tech-facilitated gender-based violence, internet connectivity and digital literacy continue to hinder meaningful inclusion. Women face structural barriers such as poor infrastructure, limited access to economic markets, electricity and social norms that restrict their use of technology. This digital exclusion not only reinforces existing gender inequalities but also limits women’s ability to access vital services, information and opportunities in areas such as education, health, financial inclusion and climate resilience. 

Some of the key recommendations from the joint report include:

• Ensuring full and effective enforcement of laws, penalties, and sanctions against child marriage in conformity with national laws and regional frameworks, including the Maputo Protocol and the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage.

• Taking measures to sensitise the public about the provisions of the Marriage Act and strengthen the capacity of state actors and the designated marriage officers responsible for the implementation of this law. 

• Ensuring the expeditious hearing and prosecution of cases of child marriage.

• Developing legal protections against sexual harassment and technology-facilitated GBV, with criminal penalties and survivor support systems

• Strengthening implementation of the Domestic Violence Act by increasing the availability of survivor-centred services, including shelters, legal aid and trauma counselling.
• Investment in infrastructure, capacity building and inclusive policy implementation that prioritise the needs of women and girls.

Equality Now works with partners worldwide to hold governments accountable for protecting and promoting the legal rights of women and girls, address harmful practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage, address sexual violence and exploitation, and improve access to justice for survivors.  

We are co-founders and Secretariat of the SOAWR Coalition and the Africa Family Law Network. In Southern Africa, Equality Now, in Partnership with SADC PF, working with CSOs, African human rights mechanisms, and SADC, is promoting domestication of the SADC Model Law on Child marriage, SADC Model law on GBV  and advocacy to end sexual violence affecting adolescent girls. In  Zimbabwe, Equality Now is working with the women’s movements to promote legal equality, strengthening government accountability to obligations to regional, continental, and international instruments and commitments on women’s rights and gender equality that Zimbabwe is party to, including legal advocacy to end harmful practices such as child marriage and strengthening protection mechanisms for survivors of child marriage.