Government has advanced two major interventions under NDP 12 to confront gender-based violence at both its roots and its aftermath: the revival of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Program and the rollout of One Stop Service Centers for survivors.
Tackling the Root: Economic Dependence Economic dependence is one of the quiet forces that keeps women trapped in abusive relationships. Government has proposed reviving the Women’s Economic Empowerment Program to break that cycle, offering entrepreneurship development, skills training, access to funding and income-generating opportunities as part of a broader strategy to shift the power imbalances that drive GBV.
Funding is drawn from the alcohol levy, structured as follows: ∙ 80% to the Consolidated Fund ∙ 10% to the Ministry of Health Alcohol Levy Special Fund ∙ 10% to the Gender Fund for Women’s Economic Empowerment Tackling the Aftermath: One Stop Service Centers For survivors, the system meant to help them can become another source of harm, forcing them to retell their trauma at every office, every desk, every handoff. Government’s new One Stop Service Centers are designed to end that.
“These one-stop centers are intended to offer a comprehensive, trauma-focused, integrated support system for individuals affected by violence, especially GBV and sexual offenses, all in one place,” said Hon. Lesego Chombo, Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs.
Underpinning the centers is a new GBV Information Management System to improve coordination between service providers, alongside a referral tracking system that follows each survivor through their journey of care. “This referral system will also enable us to track the clients that we have and ensure that they’re accessing services from these various service providers,” she added.
The centers bring together schools, law enforcement, social welfare and health officers under one roof, ensuring survivors are met with coordinated care rather than a maze of institutions to navigate alone. Together, these initiatives mark a shift in government’s approach to GBV: from reactive response to sustained, survivor-centered support at every stage, from prevention to recovery.