Concern over rise in child-parent violence cases

EMTHONJENI Women`s Forum (EWF) has expressed concern over the increasing number of children who perpetrate violence against their parents due to drug and substance abuse.
While in the African culture it is taboo for a child to lift a hand against their parents, the organization says more cases of professional counselling to child-parents violence are being reported.
One of the councillors with EWF, Mrs Lizinet Beta, said the organization has been providing professional counselling to parents who are victims of their children’s violence at Western Commonage Magistrates Courts.
She said this during a recent interaction on enhancing coordination and handling of GBV cases in Bulawayo by various stakeholders.
The stakeholders included the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Small to Medium Enterprises Development, the church, police and civil society organisations.
“We have a challenge with child-parent violence. While conducting counselling sessions and court support at the West Commonage Courts, I have come across so many cases of parents who come to report their children, especially boys, for assaulting or insulting them,” said Mrs Beta.
She said some of the boys were selling household property without parents’ consent to raise money to buy drugs.
“We must look into this issue as it is of great concern to abused parents,” said Mrs Beta.
She said a number of parents were having a hard time with their adult children who are still staying with them.
Mrs Beta said due to economic hardships, parents are forced to live with their adult children as they are not able to survive on their own.
“Some parents are forced to apply for eviction and peace orders against their violent adult children,” she said.
Mrs Beta said there is a need to have a data base which captures GBV cases.

Speaking at the same occasion, Legal Resource Centre legal officer Mr Mxoliswa Mthunzi said fights over deceased estates were increasing the number of GBV cases they are dealing with.
“The number of people coming forward to seek assistance over GBV cases keeps increasing. People come to us seeking dual assistance with application for protection and property sharing,” he said.
Mr Mthunzi said the trend was not only unique to Bulawayo but the same problems were being encountered in other provinces across the country. He said paralegal officers have conducted a number of workshops to educate members of the public.
“There is a backlog at the courts with some cases taking longer than normal to be finalised, which has an impact on victims,” said Mr Mthunzi
He said the centre was working organizations such as Musasa Project and Emthonjeni Women`s Forum.