Zimbabwe’s Emma Madziva has been honoured with a United Nations medal, recognising her peacekeeping work in South Sudan’s Unity area. ...
Zimbabwe’s Emma Madziva has been honoured with a United
Nations medal, recognising her peacekeeping work in South Sudan’s Unity area.
“It shows how hard we have worked in this place [South
Sudan],” she says, referring to various tasks she has been engaged in over the
last eight months in Africa’s youngest country.
“I was working as a patrols officer before, but I now work
on the gender desk, occupied in resolving issues around domestic violence,
early and forced marriages, rapes, and everything else that is classified under
Gender Child and Vulnerable Persons Protection (GCVPP),” says Madziva.
“We work explaining to the people that various forms of
violence against either gender and children does not only occur between husband
and wife, but may extend to family members, neigbours and relatives,” she
says.
“Sometimes the victims [who come to us] cannot explain
themselves. You only see them tearing up, and you know they are in some sort of
pain,” says Madziva. “I feel pity for them, but we are able to help them
resolve some of their problems,” says the 35-year-old, who is now a
front-runner in the girl-child education amongst the displaced.
She says she is happy to have been able to compete with men
to earn her stripes under her current role, which the United Nations globally
encourages.
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