Harare’s Expanding Sex Work Industry Amid Service Disruptions: A Public Health Time Bomb for Zimbabwe

📅 Published: August 19, 2025

📰 Source: healthtimes

Curated by AllZimNews.com

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony held in Harare,UNFPA Zimbabwe RepresentativeMs.

Miranda Tabifor emphasised the transformative potential of the partnership:
This agreement establishes a framework for collaboration that integrates sexual and reproductive health and rights, including family planning, prevention of gender-based violence, and food and nutrition security into food assistance activities.

By targeting the same beneficiaries, especially women and young people, and building on WFP’s existing food distribution platforms, we can reach more people with essential services and information,”said Tabifor.

She reflected on the longstanding cooperation between the two agencies, citing examples from as far back as 2016 when WFP provided food assistance to pregnant women in maternity waiting homes while UNFPA offered maternity care support and infrastructure improvements.

The synergy between the agencies was also evident during past emergencies, including Cyclone Idai and the COVID-19 pandemic, whenWFP distributed UNFPA’s sexualand reproductive health (SRH) materials and commodities in affected districts.

In a recent collaboration in Buhera District, the two agencies successfully piloted the integration of family planning services at WFP’s lean season food distribution sites. “UNFPA’s implementing partner, the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council, provided outreach family planning services at the food distribution point, showing how practical and impactful this collaboration can be,” Tabifor noted.

Through the newly signed MoU, UNFPA will continue to support the delivery of maternal, newborn, HIV, family planning, and GBV services by working through national partners such as the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council.

Additionally, the agency will facilitate the training of food distribution stakeholders on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), GBV risk mitigation, and safe referral mechanisms.

The MoU signifies a pivotal moment in Zimbabwe’s humanitarian and development landscape—one where collaboration across sectors is no longer optional but essential. “This MoU is our joint declaration of intent, a reaffirmation of our shared commitment to better serving the people of Zimbabwe.

It signals a deepened partnership rooted in the belief that sustainable development cannot be achieved in silos,” said Clemens.

She underscored the need to rethink service delivery models in light of growing vulnerabilities, economic shocks, and resource constraints. “This partnership is anchored in that thinking.

WFP and UNFPA are coming together to deliver integrated responses, linking food security with sexual and reproductive health, nutrition with protection, and dignity with empowerment. ”
Clemens noted that when a woman or adolescent girl arrives at a food distribution site, she should be able to access more than just food. “She can also find information about family planning, access services, or a safe pathway out of violence.