Online Reporter
B-Metro Awareness Desk
A FORTY year sentence. That’s the punishment for the Filabusi man who raped his 10-year-old orphaned relative in the name of “curing” HIV. It’s a strong message that Zimbabwe’s courts will not tolerate monsters who prey on children.
But while the sentence brings relief, it also exposes a painful truth: justice without protection is incomplete. The little girl is back in the same homestead where her sisters are also rumoured to have been abused. How can healing begin in the same place where the nightmare started?
This editorial is not just about punishment. It’s about awareness and a call to action. Every child who survives sexual abuse deserves safety, counselling and community support, not just a signed judgment and a hospital discharge. Survivors need love, not whispers. They need protection, not pity.
The idea that raping a child can “cure” HIV is a deadly lie that has destroyed lives across southern Africa. It’s not just ignorance. It’s evil disguised as tradition. Communities must rise up and challenge these dangerous beliefs. Chiefs, healers and church leaders must use their voices to teach truth and protect children. There is no “healing” in harming the innocent.
Yes, the courts did their job. The rapist was found guilty and jailed for 40 years— two 20-year sentences to run concurrently. But what about the victim’s life after the judgment? Where is the safety plan? Where are the trauma counsellors? Where are the social workers ensuring that she and her sisters are safe tonight?
We must do better as a society. Every Zimbabwean has a role to play in breaking the silence. If you suspect a child is being abused, do not look away. Report it. Speak out. Protect. It could save a life.
If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual violence, help is available from these and other organisations:
Zimbabwe Republic Police Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) — trained officers are available at every police station to handle cases with confidentiality and care.
Musasa Project — offers 24/7 shelter, counselling and legal help. Toll-Free: Econet 08080074, NetOne 08010074, Telecel 0731080074. Email: [email protected] | Website: musasa.co.zw
Childline Zimbabwe — 24-hour nationwide helpline for children. Dial 116 toll-free.
Adult Rape Clinic — provides medical care, counselling and legal support. Toll-Free Line: 08080472.
Family Support Trust — helps women and children affected by sexual abuse. Toll-Free Line: 08080501.
You are not alone. You deserve justice, safety and healing. Speak out. True churches of God, health centres and organisations like Musasa and Childline are ready to help confidentially and without judgment.
The rapist’s conviction is a victory, but real justice begins when every survivor is safe, every abuser is exposed and every community chooses to protect instead of pretending not to see.
Speak. Act. Protect. Because silence kills.
We say it here and will say it again, justice in this country looks after the perpetrators and not the victims. One commits a crime, gets arrested, is sent to prison, rehabilitated, trained equipped with skills to see one through life when one is finally released, all these for free. Meantime the victim is left to his or her means to see how he or she can recover and move on. This is what we call justice in this country.