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Little girl’s tattered genital organs
Betty Makoni, Director and Founder, Girl Child Network
March 25, 2004

Alas, gosh, maiwe, veduwe!
Hell with no mercy
Induced pain into the little girl
All genital organs tattered
Pieces and pieces of her innocent flesh
Falling apart, the centre holds no more, remember Achebe
From her inner waistline to anus to vagina to everywhere
Blood stains dripping, falling
There seems no end to this bleeding
For a little girl's tender genital organs are torn apart

So much pain induced
So much trauma to be endured
Little girl's tattered genital organs
"Oh no it hurts, be careful, it hurts"
Doctor restrains and regrets
If I were to choose a career
Then to see a little girl's tattered genital organs
Should be no option for me!
He shakes, shivers and shrinks
No way to repair little girl's tattered genital organs

Little girl's tattered genital organs
Uterus, anus, vagina now just a heap of one flesh
So deep a wound, so deep the injuries
"Don't touch, it hurts!" she pleads once more
She cries, weeps and pleads even more for less pain
Innocence makes it imperative for all present to shed tears
Maybe that could have been avoided
Maybe that could have been detected
Maybe---what? When a little girl's genital organs are in tatters

Like lions, they roar in the house
Poor mother scared to report, she only weeps
Neighbors come to her rescue, she becomes more terrified
Rapist jailed, a week later out of custody on $20 000 bail
Case postponed, postponed, postponed again, again and again
Who knows maybe forever?
Only if we could do the same with little girl's tattered genital organs

Finally acquitted, reason lack of evidence
When a little girl points at him
And with tattered genital organs
One is compelled to grant no bail, no mercy,
Now out of custody, mother revenged and haunted for reporting
Almost beaten to death
They say its domestic
'Oh ndichifa, ndichipondwa'
And my little girl with tattered genital organs
Grant me peace then, for certain it is justice delayed is justice denied.

Finally, little girl with tattered genital organs bids farewell
After being pale, sickly and ill health
She finally goes to her restful peaceful place
An angel, you go girl ,fly now the sky is the limit
Hover through the clouds and let your spirit linger
A new breed of girls is born in Zimbabwe
Fearless, fighting spirit, great inspiration
To amend the little girl`s tattered organs
Down with rapists, if you can't jail them
Marapists tinobata misoro, tichitsikatsika tichikanda uko
If you grant bail, we will grant them hell
For fear every little girl will have tattered genital organs
Remember one little girl with tattered genital organs, she finally died.

Poem written by Betty Makoni, Director and Founder, Girl Child Network in memory of all little victims of rape who died before their cases could be heard before the courts and all those little girls having to cope with perpetrators of rape out of custody.

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