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Report
on public forum to deal with the ongoing increase in girl child
sexual abuse in Zimbabwe
Taurai
Maduna, Kubatana.net
May 18, 2005
Listen
to audio files from the forum
The
Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS),
Girl Child Network (GCN) and the Women's Action Group (WAG) hosted
a public forum on May 17, 2005. The forum was meant to assess, plan
and map the way forward in dealing with the ongoing increase in
girl child sexual abuse.
The
discussion which was well attended brought together stakeholders
from various sectors who are directly or indirectly involved in
sexual abuse or HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe. Executive Director of SAFAIDS,
Lois Lunga, gave a regional
overview linking sexual violence and HIV/AIDS. She stated that
Southern Africa is consistently confronted with two epidemics. HIV/AIDS,
and gender based violence. She added that the region has both "the
highest HIV infection and sexual abuse rates globally".
Lunga
also made an urgent appeal for the implementation of a plan of action
to empower girls and women and to see how people in Zimbabwe can
create a social movement against sexual abuse.
Betty
Makoni, the director of the Girl Child Network and a dedicated human
rights defender, made a presentation on the Gravity
of girl child sexual abuse in Zimbabwe.
One
of the main issues that dominated the discussion was a case study
of Macheke Primary School undertaken by the GCN. In this case study
a labourer is facing charges of raping 14 primary schoolgirls and
sexually assaulting 27 others. The ages of the girls involved range
between seven and 13 years, over an unknown period.
According
to the GCN in their gender based violence study, there were at least
3944 girls sexually abused in 2004, which illustrates an increase
in 1511 from the previous year.
Following
the GCN's awareness and empowerment programmes, there has been an
increase in the unearthing of the rape and child sexual abuse cases.
GCN handles numerous cases of child sexual abuse. Currently the
organisation is working on the case of a professional man based
in Marondera who allegedly impregnated more than 50 girls, most
of them under 16.
A
number of recommendations were put forward during the meeting which
can be implemented in the community, school and at home.
Makoni
said, "There is generally a culture of silence about rape by family
members in most homes. It is a policy and a law as well as a taboo
for parents and their children to generate conversations around
sexual issues."
It
was suggested that there be an urgent drive in empowering the children
to know more about child sexual abuse and also how to identify it
earlier together with what steps they should take in the event of
abuse occurring.
Visit
the Kubatana.net fact
sheet
Audio File
- Poem
by school girl - read by Betty Makoni
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 48sec
Date: May 18, 2005
Recording made by: Kubatana.net
File Type: MP3
Size: 381KB
Transcript of the poem
I don't know whether to call him my teacher
Or Monica's husband
Or Prisca's sugar daddy
In 3A1 he
kissed Teclar
In 4A1 he impregnated Daizy
In 2A2 he fondled Lucia's breasts
In his storeroom I can't say
Only the books are witnesses
I do not
know whether to call him
My teacher, cheater, lover boy, abuser or user
Where do you stand cheater?
Visit the Kubatana.net
fact
sheet
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.
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