Zimbabwe's government has called for a coordinated national effort to end violence against children, urging families, communities and institutions to work together to strengthen child protection systems. Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Edgar Moyo made the call at the National Preparatory Meeting for the Second Global Ministerial Summit on Ending Violence Against Children, according to 263Chat.
Moyo said protecting children is a collective responsibility that requires the involvement of all sectors of society, and that a whole-of-society approach is essential to ensuring children's safety and well-being.
Why it matters
Child protection in Zimbabwe depends on systems that reach families directly, and the government's message at the preparatory meeting frames the issue as one that cannot be solved by any single ministry or institution alone. Moyo's remarks, as reported by 263Chat, place responsibility on parents, communities and state agencies at once — a framing that shapes how policies, funding and services are expected to work together.
The meeting also positions Zimbabwe ahead of a global ministerial summit on the same issue, giving the country a platform to align its domestic priorities with international efforts.
Five priorities for strengthening protection
Moyo outlined five government priorities for strengthening child protection: creating safe environments, improving laws and policies, supporting parents and caregivers, strengthening response services and ensuring sustainable financing. He said these priorities are interconnected and require coordinated action to deliver meaningful results.
Support for parents and caregivers featured prominently in his remarks. Moyo stressed the importance of helping families provide children with proper care and protection, adding that households need greater assistance to fulfil their responsibilities.
"We require responsible parents. Regarding parent and caregiver support, I have already indicated that we need to strengthen that area," he said.
He also called for alternative methods of disciplining children that would protect them from violence and abuse, saying new approaches are needed in place of forms of discipline that put children at risk.
Social workers deployed to bring services closer to families
As part of efforts to improve access to child protection services, Moyo said the government is deploying 20 community social workers across 10 districts under the Child Protection Fund Framework, with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The initiative is intended to bring services closer to families and improve the capacity of communities to identify and respond to cases of abuse. By placing social workers at community level, the programme aims to shorten the distance between families in need and the services designed to help them.
Moyo said children's safety must also extend to digital spaces, where they face risks including cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and other forms of online abuse. He added that the Online Protection Policy would guide ministries, departments and agencies in preventing and responding to online abuse, including cyberbullying and sextortion.
The minister said effective child protection also depends on stronger cooperation among institutions, sustained investment and greater emphasis on preventing violence before it occurs.
"The government is committed to child-friendly practices and increased investment in prevention and response. Public resources are essential and central, and we are also pursuing public-private partnerships," he said.
Moyo said ending violence against children requires strong families, effective laws, safe schools and communities, accessible support services and reliable funding.
What happens next will depend on how the five priorities translate into coordinated action across government, communities and partners, and on whether the commitments made at the preparatory meeting carry through to the global summit.
