Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Health Reporter
STIGMA and discrimination against childless people especially women often push the affected into desperation which could be the reason why some women are found on the wrong side of the law after stealing babies to impress expectant husbands and in-laws.
Childlessness which affects about 15 percent of couples is Zimbabwe has often been used against women as society is quick to conclude that whenever a couple fails to have children, the woman is at fault.
The scourge has often led many women in the country to steal newborn babies after faking pregnancies as means of buying social acceptance.
According to the World Health Organisation, about 50 percent of infertility is due to male factors while female factors also constitute the other 50 percent. Failure to conceive in women may be as a result of blocked fallopian tubes due to previous surgery, sexually transmitted diseases and endometriosis.
It can also be caused by polycystic ovary syndrome, premature ovarian insufficiency, excessive exercise and stress.
Men can fail to reproduce due to factors such as low sperm count and blocked sperm ducts, among others.
So prevalent is the stigma and discrimination that the First Lady Cde Auxillia Mnangagwa pioneered the “Merck More than a Mother” initiative which aims to empower infertile women through access to information, education, health and by changing mindsets in Zimbabwe.
In an interview Ms Lorcadia Ncube from Magwegwe says being childless has left her a laughing stock in the community and that if uncontrolled the prevalent stigma against women in her situation leads to desperation and crime.
“I have been married for 15 years and since I am childless, I have been called all sorts of names especially by my expectant in-laws and relatives. The torture and verbal abuse we go through tends to push some women to opt for faking pregnancies just to be accepted and some even engage in extra marital affairs just to prove they are women enough,” she says.
To Ms Ncube childless women who end up stealing babies to impress are just echoing a cry for help as society has been so unfair to women without biological children.
“Childlessness is not a curse or a reason to abuse any woman but, in our society, it often leads to divorce, domestic violence and some women are forced to accept their husband’s extra marital affairs which are started to ensure a man’s legacy through the birth of children.”
Mrs Soneni Dube from Famona has had to start a support group for childless couples in Zimbabwe as a means of coping with the never-ending pressure to have children once one gets married.
“In a research done together with my husband as we try to reach out to childless couples like us, one lady reported that she felt like a leper in Bible times among parents.
“Some have shared the fact that in family gatherings, they have been told to do all the donkey work when others who have children were asked to rest since they have worked so hard while pushing their babies during labour,” says Mrs Dube.
She adds that the emotional wreckage that childless women face is chronic and to her the emotional turmoil is like perennial labour pain.
“I don’t condone the stealing of babies from hospitals in order to make up for lost parenthood.
“While childless women may be desperate to have children, the situation is worsened by pressure from faimilies.” Mrs Dube said it was important for the affected women to find coping mechanisms which will prevent them from engaging in crime just to please society or their families.
“There is more to life than having children. While you wait for children, do great exploits for yourself, the community and those within your sphere of influence. Detoxify all forms of negative talk by finding an outlet. You may need to consider counselling as a tool to help you cope. Find a confidant that is willing to listen to you without judging you,” she said. — @thamamoe
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