ABSTRACT
In 2013, a national survey in Zimbabwe revealed alarmingly high rates of violence affecting children (VAC) throughout the country. These findings led to Zimbabwe joining the Multi-Country Study on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children in 2014 with the aim of understanding the underlying causes of this widespread violence. Drawing on the rich quantitative and qualitative data available, a range of stakeholders from different disciplines came together throughout the Study to co-discover what is driving VAC in Zimbabwe. Now 3 years later, here we present an overview of the Study process – including some of the challenges faced and how these were addressed – and a snapshot of the specific findings which helped stakeholders further their understanding about the drivers of VAC in Zimbabwe and what can be done to address them. We conclude by reflecting on how the Study has contributed to change within Zimbabwe, feeding into further work to target Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable children.
