Double trouble for women with disabilities

God blessed them with a baby girl. They thought that death was the only force that would separate them.
Little did they know that all their hopes and expectations would one day be shattered?
In 2007, Susan was involved in a car accident. Luck was not on her side and fate was to make her a wheelchair bound person.
She endured three years of emotional abuse as her husband used to verbally and physically insult her with the intention of making her leave their matrimonial home.
To add insult to injury, relatives and friends mocked her husband for turning his house into a “Jairos Jiri Association”.
The husband finally gathered enough strength to execute his eviction plan and Susan was abandoned with no one to turn to.
“My life turned up side down when I was chased away from my matrimonial home. I struggled to make ends meet,” she said.
“I was faced with yet another challenge of taking care of my child alone as my husband refused to help. He did not give us money for food and school fees and life was unbearable.”
Susan is now a vendor and sells air time along Park Street to fend for her daughter.
She is one of the people who missed out of the just ended commemorations of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, which began on November 25 and ended on December 10.
During the commemorations people took time to celebrate on some of the achievements in their pursuit for gender parity.
The presence of young boys who were drawn from various places at the close of the event was a unique aspect that will see Zimbabwe rising to the next level in the fight against gender-based violence.
It is very sad to note that people like Susan were left behind and the event failed to register any significance to many in her position.
Susan is one victim among thousands, who are suffering in silence.
And to make matters worse the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence sidelined them.
Persons living with disabilities who are also victims of gender-based violence cry that they are not receiving enough support from the responsible authorities.
They are marginalised and largely excluded from civil processes.
They are overwhelmingly voiceless in some matters that affect them and allege that they are not given the correct platform to tell their story.
The nation is shortchanging people living with disabilities when it comes to protection against gender- based violence.
Issues concerning able-bodied people are given more prominence while gender-based violence targeting persons living with disabilities is put at the periphery.
“No one is immune to disability and I do not owe anyone an apology for putting things straight.
“Gender-based violence is one of the problems encountered by persons living with disabilities in their societies and they are often subjected to stigma and discrimination.
“The implementation of policies that are meant to protect persons living with disabilities from gender- based violence is something questionable,” said Mary Mujoko, a visually impaired vendor.
Figures released by the National Association of Societies for the Care of the Handicapped show that 75 percent of persons with disabilities in Zimbabwe do not have national identification documents. There is no database to ascertain the exact number of people living with disabilities, so policy execution cannot slip without raising eyebrows.
Persons living with disabilities spent the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence doing business as usual on the streets. Most claimed that they were not even aware of the campaign.
“Unlike in sport where we have Paralympics that are specifically meant for persons with disabilities the event failed to create enough space for the participation of disabled persons and at the end of the commemoration, there was nothing to present to them.
“It was a matter of coincidence that the event was held a few days after the commemoration of the International Day for Persons Living with Disabilities. Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence were given more prominence than the latter,” said Mr Jason Manyati of Mbare.
He said the realisation of this injustice has led persons with disabilities developing a negative attitude towards such events.
If there is no recognition people like Susan will remain behind the scenes and die in silence.
The time is now ripe for the nation to stop taking persons with disabilities as an irrelevant population and always put their interest on top of the list.
Able-bodied people are always pursuing their selfish gains by taking advantage of such events.
When it comes to resources the able-bodied people will grab everything and leave persons with disabilities with nothing.
There are some organisations dotted around the country who masquerade as “Good Samaritans” while in actual fact they pretend to have sympathy towards people living with disabilities who are vulnerable to gender-based violence.
These organisations are very vocal about the welfare of people living with disabilities while they lack prior experience of what victims of gender-based violence who are physically challenged are going through. To be more accurate these people are not receiving any meaningful help from organisations who claim to represent them.
A tour around the country will obviously show that there are a number of persons living with disabilities who are victims of sexual, verbal and physical abuse.
The activities of organisations that represent these people are centralised in towns and those who live in many of the country’s rural areas are on their own.
Some people who live in rural areas are not aware of the 16 Days Against GBV.
They are in the dark hence dismissing the claim that the event was national. Responsible authorities must decentralise civic activities to the remotest parts of the country.
The Ministry of Gender, Women Affairs and Community Development together with non-governmental organisations must task themselves in completing the job that they have pledged to accomplish.
They must do it in a way that makes Zimbabweans say “yes” and not turn away in disgust.
People living with disabilities must be rescued from gender-based violence and credit is given where it is due.