|
Back to Index
This article participates on the following special index pages:
Index of articles surrounding the debate of the Domestic Violence Bill
Cases
of genderbased violence frightening
The Chronicle
(Zimbabwe)
September 19, 2006
http://www1.chronicle.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=156&cat=1
View
the index of articles on the debate around the Domestic Violence
Bill
THE magnitude of genderbased
violence in the country is frightening with 60 percent of the murder
cases going through the High Court being related to domestic violence,
the Minister of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development
Cde Oppah Muchinguri said yesterday.
A recent survey
undertaken by Musasa
Project, she said, revealed that at least one in three Zimbabweans
were in an abusive marital relationship.
Cde Muchinguri
was addressing women lawmakers attending a sensitisation workshop
on the Domestic
Violence Bill that seeks to widen the scope of domestic violence
to include physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic
abuse as well as harassment and stalking.
The proposed law, that
is before Parliament, makes it mandatory for every police station
to have a section to deal with domestic violence and also places
a legal duty on the police to assist victims.
"The magnitude of
genderbased violence is both frightening and shocking and the statistics
are proof enough as to why we need domestic violence legislation,"
Cde Muchinguri said.
She said many cases of
domestic violence were going unreported largely because there was
no law specifically addressing domestic violence.
Domestic violence, Cde
Muchinguri said, was complex in that it occurred within relationships,
with police officers often failing to deal with the cases appropriately.
The minister noted that
traditional and cultural beliefs were also contributing to domestic
violence.
Examples of harmful practices
included virginity testing, female mutilation, pledging of women
and girls for appeasement of avenging spirits, forced wife inheritance
and early child marriages.
Cde Muchinguri paid tribute
to the media for highlighting issues of genderbased violence.
Speaking at the same
occasion, Musasa Project director Ms Ednah Bhala said more than
8 000 abused women were seeking help every year from her organisation.
Harare Central legislator
Mr Murisi Zwizwai (MDC) said it was important for traditional leaders
to clearly articulate their position on cultural beliefs such as
the issue of pledging women and girls for appeasement avenging spirit.
In response, Cde Muchinguri
said chiefs had already made their position known on the issue of
appeasing avenging spirits, having indicated that they were against
such practices.
She said the President
of the Council of Chiefs, Chief Fortune Charumbira was on record
as having said some people were in the habit of abusing culture.
Traditional leaders,
Cde Muchinguri said, fully supported the Bill and had given an assurance
that they would take measures to ensure that the culture was not
abused.
The minister said there
was need to challenge some of the cultural beliefs.
"Let us face our
problems head on and we must not hide behind the finger," she
said.
Cde Muchunguri said chiefs
had even raised concern on the practice of demanding lobola before
burying someone, saying this was a form of abuse.
Nonconstituency Senator
Sheila Mahere said there was need for a mandatory sentence for perpetrators
of domestic.
She said there
were mandatory sentences on stock theft and this should apply to
those convicted of domestic violence.
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
