SADC Boosts Regional Capacity to Prevent Gender-Based Violence Through Training Workshop
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has reinforced its commitment to ending gender-based violence (GBV) by hosting a four-day capacity-building workshop aimed at empowering Member States with skills to prevent GBV at the national level.
Held from June 10–13, 2025, in collaboration with GIZ’s Partnerships for Prevention of GBV in Southern Africa (PfP) Programme, the workshop brought together 28 representatives from Ministries of Gender and civil society organizations across SADC countries.
It focused on designing, implementing, and monitoring country-specific GBV prevention programmes, aligned with Objective 3 of the SADC Strategy and Framework of Action for Addressing GBV (2018–2030).
Opening the event, Ms. Kealeboga Kelly Dambuza-Chifani from the SADC Gender Unit emphasized GBV as a critical barrier to achieving inclusive development across the region.
“Gender-based violence undermines rights, limits potential, and weakens socio-economic progress,” she stated, adding that harmful cultural and religious practices continue to hamper effective prevention.
Participants reviewed evidence-based strategies, discussed multi-sectoral coordination, and engaged in cross-country learning led by Dr. Lina Digolo. They also received training in identifying risk and protective factors specific to their countries.
In closing, Ms. Dambuza-Chifani urged participants to scale up GBV prevention efforts nationally and prioritize knowledge documentation for sustained impact. All delegates received certificates of participation.
