Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe: A review of a decade of the empirical literature

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a complex social problem affecting many women globally. In Zimbabwe, intimate partner violence (IPV) and child marriages remain persistent public health problems with detrimental effects on the health and well-being of women and girls. Statistics show that Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of IPV and child marriage in sub-Saharan Africa. Given this background, this paper systematically reviewed published research on VAWG in Zimbabwe from 2012 to 2022 to identify research gaps. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), we systematically searched for literature across five electronic databases: Web of Science, Medline, Psych-Info via EBSCO-Host, and Google Scholar. Our initial search yielded 261 articles, of which only 45 met our inclusion criteria. We summarised these studies using thematic analysis and performed a quality assessment using the Mixed- Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The findings revealed several gaps, including a limited focus on relational and perpetrator perspectives, insufficient attention to other forms of VAWG such as non-partner sexual violence, rape, and trafficking, and a lack of studies on marginalised groups such as people with disabilities, sex workers and same-sex couples. In addition, there were no longitudinal studies examining trends and dynamics of VAWG over extended periods or comparing different geographical regions. Few studies also focused on the evaluation of interventions. Although significant progress has been made in addressing VAWG, this review underscores the need for more research to fill these gaps for effective and evidence-based policy-making and response strategies.