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Domestic violence cases on increase in Zimbabwe
Musasa Project
October 08, 2009

Abuse against women and children
Based on The Herald January 2009 - September 2009

As an organisation fighting against domestic violence and abuse of women we have noted with concern the increase in the rates of women and children who are abused each day. We are outraged by the failure of community's safety nets to arrest this tide of abuse which has pervaded our society. The organisation is alarmed by the cases of abuse which have been committed by the uniformed forces, teachers, pastors and neighbours just to mention a few. It is baffling to note that fathers and grandfathers are pledging and raping their children and grandchildren on the pretext of spirit appeasement yet we regard them as the custodians of values and morality of our society.

Women and children continue to be sexually abused everyday, and they have remained silent to the abuses. From reports collected between March and September the cases of sexual abuse are on the increase. From the 26+ cases which have been reported in this period, August and September recorded 14+ cases alone. This is a very disturbing trend as the number of women and children who are abused keeps rising. Amongst these cases, cases of incest, rape, indecent assault, were dominant. It is important to note that most of the cases of sexual abuse are reported to have been perpetrated by caregivers, guardians, teachers and policemen. This is a shocking and frightening trend as the perpetrators of these abuses are people whom we have trusted and seek protection from. In one of the outstanding cases of sexual abuse, two teenage girls from Good Shepherd Children's home were raped by a senior administrator at the home yet they were seeking counselling and rehabilitation services at the home after being raped. In another incident a 69 year old man is accused of raping his four year old niece in front of her brother and giving her oranges to conceal the crime. A 24 year old man raped his step-daughter and poured hot water on her genitalia to conceal the evidence of the assault. This is very perplexing.

Physical abuse has also been rampant of late with women being the major victims of this form of abuse. These cases range from bashing of wives, torching of property, verbal threats among other forms of abuse. It is disturbing to note that domestic violence perpetrators are influential people in our society, people like the police and celebrities are the main culprits yet we look up to them for protection and even model them. In a bizarre incident a man torched his girlfriend after dousing her with petrol for she had allegedly announced that their relationship was over. In a different incident an urban grooves artiste, Ex-Q, is allegedly reported to have bashed and beat up his wife in pugilist fashion after the wife had asked for her share of proceeds from the sale of a family car. This shows that there are negative masculinities which are precipitating acts of violence against women.

Cases of psychological abuse have also been frequently reported in the newspaper. Women and children remain at the receiving end of this unrelenting torment. The difference between a care giver and an abuser is now hard to tell as the people who have been given custodianship of children are the very same people who are abusing the children. In one incident, three minors are alleged to have been denied food and their basic right to education by their grandmother. The children are reported to have been verbally and emotionally abused by their grandmother who continuously used abusive language on them. In a different report a couple would deny their stepdaughter food and would sleep on the bed with their son while the girl slept on the floor without blankets. Such a scenario negatively impacts on the psychological development of children.

The cases highlighted above are just a tip of the iceberg as most of the crimes against women are concealed in the home and never see the light of day. Cases of abuse against women and children are really a national crisis as these abuses are committed at all levels of society. Even young boys below the age of fifteen have been reported to have committed various assaults on young girls. This shows that a negative culture of abuse is manifesting in our society. It should be noted that abuse against women and children has devastating impacts on them. Women and children suffer emotional, cognitive and developmental problems.

It should also be taken into account that sentences which are being given to perpetrators of violence are quite lenient and do not protect the victims of the abuse. For instance a man accused of statutory rape was given a jail sentence of 22 months. This does not guarantee any how that after serving his term he will not commit the same crime again with the same victim. Therefore legal system should create safety nets and eradicate loop holes which perpetrators of abuse are escaping from. There is a need for hard deterring measures which strive to end this torrent of abuse. Women and children deserve the respect and absolute protection from perpetrators of violence and abuse. Ending this abuse is therefore both a human rights imperative and a public health priority.

The statistics
Taken from The Herald achieves (January - September 2009)

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