This qualitative study explores the perceptions of duty bearers regarding the protection of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) from sexual abuse in Bikita District, Zimbabwe. The study engaged eighteen key informants comprising village heads, legal guardians, religious leaders, and local government officials, teachers, caregivers, religious leaders, law enforcement officers, and health practitioners through in-depth interviews. The research sought to understand how these duty bearers perceive the causes, challenges, and protective strategies related to sexual abuse affecting OVCs. Findings reveal that participants demonstrated a clear understanding of the vulnerabilities faced by OVCs, attributing sexual abuse to factors such as relative poverty, harmful cultural, religious norms, and transactional sex. Duty bearers noted a range of protective interventions including counselling services, educational support, empowerment programs, and income-generating initiatives aimed at strengthening the resilience and safety of OVCs. Additionally, they acknowledged that OVCs often resort to harmful coping mechanisms such as self-harm, journaling, transactional sex and substance abuse following abuse incidents. These insights are interpreted through the lens of Ubuntu philosophy, which underscores collective responsibility and interconnectedness within communities emphasizing that safeguarding OVCs is a shared moral duty anchored in the African ethos of “a person is a person through others.”
