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A call for national quick action on child sexual abuse
Betty Makoni, Director, Girl Child Network
July 27, 2004

As a dark cloud prevails around the recent murder and sexual abuse of a Norton girl, the sexual abuse of the Blakiston school girl and many others, the raping of a 15 year old Mutare girl by a Mutare DJ knowing well he has HIV, equally pain our hearts. As an organisation we feel evoked and challenged by the rate at which rape cases of minors are occurring.

If all of us followed media reports in recent weeks we are all agreed that child sexual abuse is now a societal evil that ravages and haunts our innocent children. Media reports in recent weeks were characterised by the following:

Read media reports of child sexual abuse

The television, the radio the privately owned media echoed the same sentiments and such an outcry cannot go unchallenged by Girl Child Network an organisation with 20 000 girls who are members of the Network and spread round the country.

Three rape cases reported to Girl Child Network per day
On average all the media in Zimbabwe reports on an average of fifteen rape cases of minors per month. Girl Child Network wants to confirm that child sexual abuse is rampant and calls for urgent collective National Action as echoed by Manica Post. In recent months in our organisation we also dealt with at least three cases of rape per day in all our administrative centres of Chitungwiza, Hwange and Rusape. The numbers do not include cases from other areas of operation like Mhondoro, Chivhu, Chimanimani, Gokwe North and South, etc.

Girl aged two sexually abused in Chitungwiza
In January 2004, a girl aged two was brutally raped in St Mary's, Chitungwiza. The perpetrator was discharged due to lack of evidence as the little girl purportedly failed to give an account of what happened to her through the anatomically correct dolls where she had to show how she was raped through the male and female dolls. Male dolls are not common in our society and for the little girl the traumatic experience of repeating the same violent act of rape must be tormenting to date. Out of court and even to strangers the little girl articulately shares her horrifying story and says exactly how she was raped. It is only when she is given a microphone and some dolls in court when she loses sight of what she is supposed to do.

Girl aged 15 escapes second forced marriage in Bocha
A fifteen year old girl of an apostolic sect church escaped forced marriage. She was forced to marry at the age of thirteen and was never allowed to proceed with her education. In Mutare Bocha where she escaped sexual slavery, many other girls from this church have been forced to marry and apparently they are languishing in sexual violence near Chiwundura school in Bocha. She belongs to the Johane Marange Apostolic Sect.

Rape happening everywhere
On a daily basis we learn of rape around domestic circles, in the churches, on the streets, in schools and it appears just everywhere. The sad part of rape is, it is perpetrated against the most vulnerable and innocent members of our COMMUNITIES MOSTLY GIRLS and this is not to say boys are spared at all.

1998 to date thousands of girls in our data base raped
From the daily reports made to our centre and from the reports made through the media and other children's organisations, Girl Child Network has finally come up with more insight on potential rapists which communities, families, girls and everyone should watch out for. The section below is meant to keep us on alert as conclusions have been drawn on the many cases GCN has dealt with since 1998. Mind you our data base (1998 -2004) due to be released this end of August recorded thousands of young girls raped mostly by those who know them around domestic circles. We managed to follow up each individual case. Our preliminary findings however concluded on various rapists especially around domestic and other circles.

Some common characteristics of rapists and what to watch out for

Against this background the nation is daily robbed of innocent little girls
If one considers the fact that all the above rapists prey on little girls certainly the whole nation is robbed of innocent girls and through a poem entitled 'I am daily robbed of my innocent girls' GCN Director, Betty Makoni invites you to mourn and pay tribute to the Norton girl, Blakiston girl, Mutare girl, Chipinge girl and indeed all little girls who are innocent victims of rape.

Girl Child Network Condemns Raping of Minors In strongest Terms
On behalf of Girl Child Network and indeed on behalf of girls who have so immensely suffered in recent weeks we condemn rape of minors in strongest terms and urgently appeal to government to call " an urgent state of emergency " on rape of minors and bring all rapists to book. Most of these perpetrators are out of custody and walk scot free while most victims of rape suffer from HIV and AIDS as well as physical and psychological injuries. The damage to the girls so far is extensive and irrepairable. Unless the arm of law moves swiftly and deny these rapists bail like what happened with Pastor Guti and the businessman who raped a Blakiston girl and many others then certainly the female species may be on its way to extinction. We are closely following developments in these two stories for they serve to give test cases.

Girl Child Network and all children's organizations will continue with ongoing awareness campaigns on child sexual abuse and building capacities of communities to more effectively respond to child sexual abuse. Girl Child Network in collaboration with other ngos and government will continue with girls' empowerment programmes so that rape of minors is totally eliminated. We are well aware that prevention is better that cure. We are also well aware that having a rapist sentenced to jail only serves to give warning to would be rapists but in itself does not bring back the so many innocent lives lost to rape and HIV and AIDS.

We also believe in collective action, government, communities, churches, media, private sector and other ngos involved for this huge problem of child sexual abuse cannot be tackled by the law, awareness campaigns and any one single strategy or organization. There is need for a more collaborated and coordinated approach.

Finally GCN thanks the active role played by various journalists from various media houses to include the Herald, Sunday Mail, the Standard, the Daily Mirror, Nehanda Guardian, Manica Post, Radio and Television in raising level of awareness.

Visit the Girl Child Network fact sheet

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