adminOswell Moyo Chronicle Reporter
ABOUT 87 percent of girls living with disabilities in the country have been sexually abused, more than half of them contracting HIV, Provincial Minister for Bulawayo, Cde Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo has revealed.
She said there were about 1,5 million people living with disabilities in the country.
Addressing students from six universities at a Zimbabwe United Nations Association (Zuna) model meeting for local universities at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) on Thursday, Cde Moyo said girls living with disabilities were vulnerable to sexual abuse.
In a speech read on her behalf by Fischer Chiyanike, president of Zuna, Cde Moyo said: “Eighty seven percent of girls living with disabilities have been sexually abused in Zimbabwe. Among those 52.4 percent tested positive.”
She said women with disabilities faced severe discrimination while cases of handicapped children who get sexually abused were on the increase.
Cde Moyo said apart from sexual abuse, people living with disabilities in Zimbabwe are not accorded equal access to job opportunities.
“Only two percent of people with disabilities are employed in the public sector and overall less than seven percent of people with disabilities in Zimbabwe are in employment.
“Another eight percent are self-employed while 29 percent are involved in farming activities for sustenance. Nineteen percent are said to be studying,” she said.
The minister said despite the depressing statistics the government had made strides in ensuring their rights were protected by being a signatory to the UN convention on the rights of the disabled.
Tafadzwa Dube from Solusi University said people living with disabilities have been sidelined.
He said their plight was not well articulated and attended to.
According to the 2014 Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) report released recently, a majority of children in Zimbabwe are subjected to violence and abuse as a means of disciplinary action at home.
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2014 indicates that 63 percent of children aged between one and 14 were subjected to violent disciplinary measures, while 36 percent said they had endured physical punishment, with five percent of them saying the physical punishment was severe.
Zuna model meetings are designed to encourage debate among young people from different universities about issues affecting society and imitate the UN General Assembly with participants representing countries.
This year the theme was “Mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities in the post 2015 Development Agenda”. The meeting was organized by Zuna.
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