Yesterday, on the final day of my visit to Zambia, the Minister of Gender and I launched 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence in Zambia. This is a UN worldwide initiative, running from International Day of Eliminating Violence Against Women on 25 November to Human Rights Day on 10 December.

I shared with the audience some of our experience of tackling violence against women in the UK – still a huge challenge – and our determination to support vulnerable women across the world. This includes a new research and innovation fund to prevent and tackle violence against women and girls, announced yesterday in London (link to DFID page on the new research fund).

Some have described the 2000’s as a lost decade for women’s rights in Zambia. Zambia ranks 131 out of 146 countries in the Gender Inequality Index and 47% of women in Zambia have experienced gender-based violence. But I have been encouraged during my visit to learn of more recent progress – including a law against gender-based violence passed last year.

One influential woman determined to make a difference is the First Lady, Dr Christine Kaseba-Sata. She explained to me Zambia’s progress in implementing its commitments made at the Family Planning Summit (London, July 2012). Dr Kaseba-Sata, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist in Zambia for more than 25 years, is also determined to tackle maternal mortality and cervical cancer – the most common cancer in Zambia. What a fantastic example of a woman using her expertise and position to make a difference for the most vulnerable in her country.

I finished my visit by meeting four impressive senior public servants tackling corruption in Zambia (including two women in the roles of Auditor General and Director General of the Anti-Corruption Commission). I urged them to continue their vital work to prosecute those who abuse their office and to help strengthen transparency in government.

It has been a privilege to visit this beautiful country and to meet those who are building a brighter future – from a newly-qualified Community Health Assistant to the First Lady, from the international exporters Zambia Sugar to local farmers, and from rural schoolteachers to the Ministers of Justice and Finance. And I have been delighted to see UK aid and diplomacy in action, supporting the poorest and urging more from those in power.

With the High Commissioner James Thornton and the First Lady, at the State House in Lusaka, Zambia

I spent today in Zambia’s Southern province to see some of the vital work being delivered in education, health care, private sector development, social support, and reducing gender-based violence. I wanted to meet those most directly impacted by these programmes and to hear their stories.

For example, Metiness Chandi, a disabled mother of three in Monze district, who now receives income support through the Government of Zambia’s social protection programme. Metiness has used this income to build hard-roof housing for her family, to buy chickens, and to send her children to school. Her life has changed from desperation to hopefulness.

60% of Zambians live on less than $1 a day. In rural Zambia, 57% live in extreme poverty and are unable to meet basic food needs. Through the social protection programme, 99,000 recipients (84% of them women) will be reached by 2015 – over 60% funded by UK aid.

At ASAZA clinic in Mazabuka, set up to support survivors of gender-based violence, I met several women who had summoned the courage to seek help and confront their husbands’ violent and abusive behaviour. Barbara Mbewe’s husband used to get drunk and beat her regularly. She went to ASAZA who offered refuge in a safe house and counselling. ASAZA also wrote to her husband to challenge his behaviour and offer him support to change. He accepted, and is now a member of the Men’s Network, advocating change in his community. Other men refuse help and about half of cases go to court. This clinic, together with the bravery of women and men in the community, is bringing justice and changing attitudes.

My first visit since arriving in Zambia was to a UK-funded adolescent girls empowerment programme in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of the capital, Lusaka. This programme is supporting more than 1,500 of the most vulnerable girls, providing safe spaces and mentoring to help build their confidence and life skills.

The girls I met told me they were learning about their rights as women. One 16 year old girl said she now felt more confident to say no to unwanted approaches from boys. Another said the girls now understood that if a spouse or boyfriend attacked his partner, she had the right to go to the police. This is a much-needed message in a country where 63% of women aged 15-24 report wife-beating to be justified under certain conditions.

Perhaps most inspiring are the girls’ hopes for the future. They are encouraged to dream big. When I asked the girls what they wanted to do in life, hands shot up around the room. The wanted to be doctors, lawyers, journalists, nurses, teachers – one even said President of Zambia, to much applause.

Girls like these will negotiate greater security and opportunity for women in Zambia. But they will also need role models and wider support if they are to achieve their ambitious goals – an issue I have since been discussing with key Zambian Ministers.

This programme will reach 10,000 girls over the next two years, hopefully unleashing a powerful ‘girl effect’ that will challenge social norms and practices of violence and discrimination against women in Zambia.

I am currently in Zambia, in my DFID role and as UK ministerial champion for tackling violence against women and girls overseas. This coincides with the UN day for eliminating violence against women (yesterday.) Here is the text of  my Huffington Post blog, written on Saturday. You can see the original here. 

… Sunday 25 November is the UN day for eliminating violence against women, which I’m marking with my first ever visit to Zambia. Physical and sexual abuse of women is a global scourge, that transcends borders. From the UK, where one in four women will be the victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime to Zambia, where 47% of women have suffered gender-based violence. Much has been done to improve the plight of women but, in Zambia as elsewhere, cultural norms are often still a barrier to change.

As the UK government’s ministerial champion for tackling violence against women and girls overseas, I feel a great sense of responsibility. Changing mindsets and preventing violence before it starts is crucial. And there is evidence of progress. In Zambia, the government has created a new Ministry of Gender this year. A new Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme will provide mentoring and ‘safe spaces’ to 10,000 vulnerable girls. Such developments are hugely welcome and we must grasp this chance to garner more global support.

There is still so much to be done. In recent years, many countries devastated by conflict have seen increasing levels of gender-based violence. Women and girls, men and boys are all victims of sexual violence where rape is used as a weapon of war. In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 200,000 cases of sexual violence mostly involving women and girls have been documented since 1996. I’m optimistic that with the Foreign Secretary’s preventing sexual violence initiative we can step up our work to tackle this heinous crime and provide the justice so desperately needed.

Improving rule of law and access to justice is key to giving women the voice they need. We have helped install justice systems like the Sexual Assault and Referral Centre (SARC) in Somaliland, meaning that a woman who was raped by seven men was able, through extreme courage on her part, to bring the perpetrators to justice. It’s evident – that given the right support, women will fight back.

Across Africa the SARC initiative has seen a dramatic increase in the conviction rate of violence against women cases from 35% to 60% in the target locations. This can be attributed to the work undertaken with the police, hospitals, courts and the Sexual Assault and Referral Centre. We now need creative and determined efforts to build on this success and help empower women to confront perpetrators of violence and tackle impunity on a larger scale, across the continent and beyond.

One opportunity to really make a difference is at the annual meeting of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women, an event where these issues are given an international spotlight. It is terribly frustrating that the most recent meeting in March failed to reach any agreed conclusions. We must do everything in our power to defend the hard-gained progress on women’s rights and equality which is being undermined on the international stage. We must ensure that the international community agrees a set of global standards next March, to help protect women and girls everywhere from discrimination and violence.

On my trip to Zambia, I look forward to seeing projects that are making a real difference to the lives of women and girls. The absence of international cooperation cannot ever be a justifiable reason for failing to protect the worlds female population.

Here’s a sneak preview of my latest email due to go out to local constituents on my email list:

Winter is coming and inevitably, it’s getting colder and colder. At this time of year, a warm home is vital, particularly for families, the elderly and vulnerable people.

But it isn’t always easy – Energy companies have been hiking up prices and have made it difficult for many people to keep their homes warm.

That’s why my Lib Dem colleague Ed Davey – the Energy Secretary – has developed numerous Government grants and discount schemes to help people with the cost of their winter bills. Here’s an overview of the many discounts and grants available:

The Winter Fuel Payment is for anyone born on or before the 5^th July 1951 is entitled to a tax free payment from the Government, ranging from £100-£300 to help with heating bills. This year, you should receive the payment automatically – but do let me know if you haven’t and I will chase it up.

The Warm Front Scheme means that households can improve their heating or insulation at no cost. If your property is poorly heated or if you do not have working central heating system, the Warm Front Company will come and do the work – and the Government will pay the bill directly.

The Warm Homes Discount is run jointly by the Government and Energy companies, and gives recipients a £130 discount on Bills. It is generally targeted at the over 80’s – but some energy suppliers provide to others, such as people on disability living allowance.

In short – it’s well worth taking a look at these grants and seeing if you’re eligible! Energy companies do offer discounts to certain customers, so it may well be worth contacting you supplier to find out if you could benefit. British Gas is also offering free insulation.

If you have any problems applying, or are not sure whether you qualify, please reply to this email with your national insurance number, and I’ll investigate it for you.

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