adminrequired by the legal statute, Senate’s Thematic Committee heard on Monday.
Most women end up withdrawing litigation processes against their partners owing to the tedious and expensive procedures that ought to be followed.
Musasa Project director, Mrs Netty Musanhu, said this on Monday while giving oral evidence before a Thematic Committee on Gender and Development, chaired by Chitungwiza Senator, James Makore (MDC-T).
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A woman has to pay US$5 to report a case when she wants a protection order.
“It might appear small, but for someone who is running out of a house in the middle of the night she might not find it.
“The women will have to photocopy 18 forms that are to be served to each party,” said Mrs Musanhu.
She said there was need for a deliberate programme to economically empower women so that they could pursue their litigation as some ended up withdrawing their cases because their partners were the breadwinners.
“There is inadequate empowerment especially for rural women,” she said.
Mrs Musanhu called for the education of police officers and women on the provision of the Domestic Violence Act.
She expressed concern on the lack of deterrent sentences and granting of bail on perpetrators of domestic violence by courts.
“I am not sure if the courts think that cases of domestic violence are not important or serious to warrant stringent bail conditions,” she said.
Commenting on some gaps in the Act, Mrs Musanhu said “small houses” were not covered in the law, thus leaving a problem on how to deal with violence or disputes involving relations in such affairs.
“If my husband has a small house, and if I go and effect instant justice on her, this is not provided for in the Act,” she said.
The women lobby group chief also bemoaned the lack of adequate resources to ensure the full implementation of the Act. The Domestic Violence Council, though constituted, has not functioned effectively owing to lack of resources, she said.
The law, for example, provided that there be a victim friendly unit at every police station, very few have set up the unit owing to constrained resources.
“The units close at 1600 hours, yet the abuse happens in the evening and complainants go to the police charge office where they meet an untrained officer,” she said.
Several police officers did not like to work in the victim friendly unit, which they viewed as unattractive as they preferred to work in other departments such as the traffic section, said Mrs Musanhu.
Some legislators castigated the lobby group for excluding traditional leaders and mature people in their activities and in their board.
Mvurachena Sen Cephas Makuyana (MDC-T) said inclusion of such people would go a long way in mitigating the cases of domestic violence, lest the organisation would be perceived as a group composed of loose women interested in destroying people’s homes.
Mrs Musanhu, however, said her group included all stakeholders both in their board and in their activities.
Online Reporter