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Women stripped naked as searches go too far for elusive diamond
Zimbabwe Peace Project
February 01, 2007

The much vaunted police operation code named "Chikorokoza Chapera" (which means "illegal mining is over") being undertaken jointly by the police, army details and some members of the infamous Youth militia in Manicaland is causing alarm and despondency among citizens and visitors to Mutare especially those who use the Mutare Masvingo route.

The security apparatus backed by the youth militia who have been deployed in Buhera, Marange, Nyanyadzi and Chipinge have been wrecking havoc instead of keeping peace. Scores of people interviewed expressed serious reservations at the manner in which the police are conducting business especially at 22 miles near Mutare. Scores of women who were interviewed had harrowing stories to tell. Selina Mundeta, said that she and 48 other women from different buses were subjected to the most degrading treatment at 22 miles as the hostile police searched them. She said that she and other women were forced off the bus that was coming from her rural home in Marange and were herded like sheep into a tent by a police woman who forced the women to strip one by one. The police woman deeped her fingers into the victims’ private parts accusing the woman of "having invited such searches on themselves as the women had the habit of inserting the precious stones into their private quarters to evade being detected by the police"

Although the police women wear gloves, obviously for their own protection and safety, fears are high that the police women conducting the searches do not change the gloves. "No, I do not think they change the gloves at all, poor as the police force is these days, where do you think they get the resources to buy the huge quantities of gloves needed?" observed another victim.

This has raised alarm and despondency among the many victims of such immoral searches as there is a very high risk of the women contracting diseases like HIV/AIDS and other STIs. "Its extremely filthy and unhealthy thing to do, said a nurse at Mutare General Hospital. A lawyer based in Mutare said that such conduct by the police in direct contravention of United Nations norms and conventions especially the right to be protected against inhuman and degrading treatment calls for all sane minded people and institutions to demand an immediate stop to this harrassment.

The police and their cohorts also stand accused of stealing pieces of diamonds (ngoda), gold and emeralds from panners and dealers.

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