For years, Thandiwe Zulu endured what she can only describes as a "slow disappearance" of who she once was. So when the time came that she finally gathered the courage to walk away from her abusive 10-year marriage, she did just that: she walked away.

"I had packed nothing. Just my phone and my handbag. I thought, 'If I don't go now, I may never make it out alive,'" Zulu told DW.

Her story mirrors that of thousands of women in Zambia navigating the persistent crisis of gender-based violence.

According to the 2024 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey, nearly half of all women living there have experienced physical, emotional or sexual violence in their lifetimes. Experts warn, however, that the true number is likely higher, as stigma and fear mean many cases remain unreported.

Gender-based violence 'deeply rooted in power, inequality'

In Africa and around the globe, the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) is gaining momentum. Zambia has developed a strong legal framework to tackle it, including the Anti-Gender-based Violence Act of 2011 and the National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence. Yet, there remains a canyon between official policy and practice. 

Anne Mwale-Anamela, executive director of the Non-governmental Gender Organizations’ Coordinating Council, said the country continues to struggle with the underlying forces driving such violence.

"We can have strong laws, but if communities still believe violence is a private matter or a normal part of marriage, then survivors remain silent and trapped," Mwale-Anamela explained from her office in Lusaka.

"GBV is deeply rooted in power, inequality, and social expectations," she added, noting that while awareness campaigns have improved the public understanding of the issue, access to services remains uneven. 

Many rural districts, for example, lack shelters, trained counselors and legal support structures. Transport, staffing shortages and limited community outreach also continue to affect response times and survivor support. Police units lacking the appropriate legal knowledge and resources to tackle GBV.

These shortcomings leave many survivors with few options beyond returning to abusive homes.

VP Mutale Nalumango calls for cultural change

For many years, reporting violence to authorities had been treated as a last resort, but government officials insist they are committed to strengthening protection systems.

"We know that many survivors fear being blamed or not being taken seriously," said police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga, acknowledging challenges for authorities to gain public trust.

But GBV, he explained, does not exclusively affect adult women. Over three-quarters of all GBV cases taken to criminal prosecution involve girls. And among the statistics on children and minors, about a quarter of all criminal cases involve boys as survivors of sexual violence.

"We cannot allow GBV to weaken our families and our nation," Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango stressed in a recent speech, emphasizing that it undermines not only the safety of individuals, but also the fabric of Zambia's society.

"It is therefore critical that women are empowered, and the cultural norms and practices that oppress them are eradicated, thereby raising their status," she said.

Men join struggle against gender-based violence

Activists argue that progress in empowering women and opposing gender-based violence is slowed by inadequate funding. Shelters often have to rely heavily on donations, while psycho-social support services and legal aid are stretched thin. 

To truly address the roots of the problem, advocates say harmful gender norms must be challenged. This is the focus of MenEngage Zambia, a movement working with boys and men to rethink traditional ideas of masculinity. 

Golden Nachibinga, one of its long-standing members, believes transformation must begin at an early age. "If boys grow up believing that strength means control, then violence becomes normal to them," he told DW. 

"We are teaching men that real strength is empathy, responsibility, and respect," he added. "Masculinity should never be a threat. It should be a source of protection."

MenEngage runs sessions in schools, churches and community centers, encouraging men to speak openly about identity, emotional well-being, and healthy relationships. 

Nachibinga said the response to the initiative has been encouraging, but long-term change requires sustained engagement and greater national visibility.

Reaching hearts and minds on digital platforms

Meanwhile, a new generation of younger activists is increasingly turning to digital platforms to amplify the conversation. 

Angela Nyirenda, a human rights and gender activist-turned-digital campaigner, uses Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and short-form explainers to educate young people about GBV, its warning signs and the availability of local resources.

"The internet is our megaphone," she told DW, highlighting how these narratives can even reach women in other parts of Africa as well.

"You can reach thousands of girls in minutes — girls who don't attend workshops or live far from support services. We meet them where they already are: on their phones," she explained.

However, the digital space is not always safe for activists. Nyirenda said she regularly faces online harassment, cyberbullying and gendered insults from people who oppose her work, or see gender equality as a threat. 

"But silence protects the abuser more than the abused. If we don't talk about it, nothing changes," she noted.

People like Thandiwe Zulu, meanwhile, have now joined other public figures like Nyirenda. She now volunteers in community WhatsApp groups that offer emotional support, information about safe houses and guidance on how to document abuse or seek protection orders.

"There are days I feel strong and days I don't. Healing is not a straight line," she said. She hopes her story can help encourage others: "I want every woman to know she is not alone. And [that] she deserves peace — real peace — no matter where she comes from."

Voices against silence growing louder

For scholars like Charity Musamba of the University of Zambia, these emerging voices are essential — though deeper structural issues remain.

"GBV thrives in environments where violence is normalized, where women's autonomy is questioned, and where economic dependency traps survivors," she explained.

"Ending GBV requires cultural reeducation. We must redefine what love, respect, authority and partnership mean within families," she added.

Musamba argued that lasting, transformative change requires sustained collaboration between government, civil society, traditional leaders and the media.

She can also see that change beginning to take root: Across Zambia, the voices pushing back against gender-based violence are growing louder — from survivors to policymakers, from police to digital activists, they are all reshaping the national conversation and insisting on a future where every woman and girl can live free from fear.

Edited by: Sertan Sanderson

Correction, November 25, 2025: An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled the names of Anne Mbewe-Anamela and Mutale Nalumango. DW apologizes for these errors.