Reading Elizabeth’s, comments on the eve of International Day Against Violence Against women, I could not help but to chuckle and agree with those comments! Having worked as an activist against gender based violence for almost twenty years with the YWCA, in Zambia, I used to take note of the subtle ways in which some highly placed individuals in institutions that could help end or reduce gender based violence could look at you and make such comments like, "are you sure there was no consent in body language by your client? maybe she was wearing a short skirt or maybe she was not firm enough in saying no or maybe.....that’s why she got raped"
At times, as we conducted the A16 days of activism, we could be called 'Tarmac women" by the then Minister of Finance Ms Edith Nawakwi! These comments exuded hostility, and sent a message that "Look, why don’t you shut your mouth and just stay at home! Women are not worth your fight. These people and institutions, meant ‘keep quiet and don’t do anything’.

At times they called us marriage breakers because we were there to sensitise women not to tolerate a beating from their husbands. So, Elizabeth’s call as she is now at the helm of a powerful institution has surely come at the right time, maybe a cry out from the top will be heard such that others holding such high positions may hear the cry and support the campaign with the right clout in action and the finance that it deserves.