Hlpc Launches #Silenceisharm Campaign to Amplify Key Population Voices in Zimbabwe

The participants posed for a group photo during the training, where the #SilenceIsHarmCampaign was launched, January 2025, Harare.

In a society where silence has too often been a survival strategy, the Health and Law Policy Consortium (HLPC) continues to urge Zimbabwe’s LGBTQI+ community and all key populations (people living with HIV, people with disabilities and sex workers) to break free from fear and speak out. Through the launched #SilenceIsHarm Campaign, HLPC is calling for an end to stigma, discrimination, and invisibility.

The campaign was officially introduced during a human rights training workshop held under the LoveAlliance project in January 2025. The launch of the #SilenceIsHarm Campaign, under the Love Alliance project, marked a turning point in strengthening LGBTQI+ advocacy in the country. Introduced during a human rights training workshop in Harare, the campaign provided activists, lawyers, and human rights defenders with the tools and confidence to speak out and take action.

For many in Zimbabwe, being LGBTQI+ still comes with heavy risks. Homosexuality remains criminalised under colonial-era laws, reinforcing a culture where silence often feels safer than visibility. Yet silence has also meant isolation, erasure, and injustice. HLPC’s campaign is about rewriting that story. “When we stay silent, we let discrimination win,” said Tendai Moyo, an LGBTQI+ rights advocate at the workshop. “This campaign reminds us that our voices matter. Together, we can push back against injustice.”

The campaign challenges silence with five bold rallying cries: “Silence will not protect you!” “Our silence will harm you!” “Together we have a voice!” “Silencing diversity??” and “Respected. Dignified. Secured!” Dorcas Chitiyo, HLPC’s Project Coordinator, reflected on the milestone, “The campaign is about shifting narratives,” she explained. “For too long, LGBTQI+ individuals in Zimbabwe have been forced into silence out of fear. But silence does not bring safety, it only allows oppression to thrive. We are saying, Speak up, because your voice is powerful,” she added.

Participants following the proceedings during the training and launch of the #SilenceIsHarm campaign, January 2025, Harare.

The training equipped participants with practical advocacy skills, documenting violations, drafting shadow reports, and leveraging international frameworks such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Beyond legal skills, the campaign left participants inspired. “We need more of these trainings,” said David Muchena, a human rights lawyer. “If we sharpen our skills and use mechanisms like the African Commission effectively, we can be able to push for the recognition of these rights.”

HLPC plans to build on this momentum with more training in 2025, focusing on shadow reporting and strategic litigation. In the meantime, participants were encouraged to take the campaign online, spreading the message across digital platforms.

“This is not just a hashtag, it is a movement,” said Ruvimbo Tenga, a gender rights activist. “Every tweet, every post chips away at the culture of fear.” MwariAnesu Makosa, a GALZ Projects Officer, echoed this spirit of defiance and hope: “We are saying all key populations matter, and we will not be erased.” Though Zimbabwe’s legal landscape remains hostile, HLPC and its allies believe persistence, strategic advocacy, and international solidarity can open doors to justice. “The fight is far from over,” Chitiyo admitted. “But with campaigns like #SilenceIsHarm, we are ensuring no one suffers in silence again.”

The #SilenceIsHarm campaign is not just a call to action, it is a declaration of existence, dignity, and resilience. It has given key population activists and allies the courage to step out of the shadows and speak up. What was once fear is now becoming collective action, and what was once isolation is now solidarity.HLPC and its partners are building a movement that refuses to be ignored. In Zimbabwe, where laws and stigma continue to oppress key population communities, the #SilenceIsHarm campaign stands as both a shield and a megaphone, reminding everyone that silence is not safety, and that courage, spoken out loud, can change the course of history.