Lack of safe houses in Mat North hampering fight against GBV

Fairness Moyana, Hwange Correspondent
Ms Duduzile Ndlovu (not her real name) hangs her head with a dismal sigh as she catches a glance of the time from her cellphone. It’s almost the dreaded time her husband returns home from the beerhall after dismissing from work. What follows next is a barrage of insults about how ungrateful she is before blows rain down on her if she dares to speak.

Two nights ago, things almost ended tragically when during the fracas he knocked down a pot with boiling water narrowly missing their one-year-old daughter who was sleeping on the floor in the couple’s two roomed house after she hurled herself in the line of fire getting scalded in the process. Fed up with the life of continued abuse, Ms Ndlovu gathered up courage and decided to report the matter to the police but soon withdrew the case after receiving threats from her husband that he would throw her and their four children out of the house.

Scenes like these have been playing out for most victims of gender-based violence where they are trapped in a vicious cycle of abuse because they have no safe haven to run to. While raising awareness on gender-based violence (GBV) has of late been a topical issue, not much has been done to address the high number of abuse cases that go unreported as a result of fear of retribution especially where a victim is economically dependent on the perpetrator. Beyond that, not much has been done to provide alternative means of protection once a report is filed with the police. Victims like Ms Ndlovu are caught between a rock and a hard place as the dependency outweighs the violence or abuse.

Stakeholders and gender activists in Hwange have raised a red flag pointing out that the unavailability of safe houses or shelters in the district and province is a hindrance to efforts to curb GBV.

A safe house, in the context of GBV, is a home that provides an alternative shelter to a survivor of violence. The intended purpose of a safe house is to keep the victim or survivor from any further potential harm from the perpetrator with an aim of supporting her or him in dealing with the traumatic experience as well as preparation for the legal process. Different stakeholders said reporting of cases was hampered by lack of safe houses to protect survivors from further exposure.

Matabeleland North has only one safe house in Bubi, built with the assistance from Musasa Project which is supposed to cater for seven districts. Buwalo Matilikilo Trust (BMT) director, Mrs Anna Mandizha-Ncube said the absence of safe space was led to fear among victims to report GBV especially where it involves spouses resulting in many cases going unreported.

“The unavailability of safe houses in Hwange District and the province as a whole is really a huge impediment in fighting GBV because one of the major concerns is when someone has gone to report a physical or emotional abuse case at the police and is no safe space that can protect them from the time of initial report up to the time justice is administered in the justice delivery system. For example, if one is beaten up by a spouse and makes a police report, he/she is forced to go back home to the same environment while waiting for investigations,” said Mrs Mandizha-Ncube.

She said as a result of cultural factors which makes it taboo to report a spouse, especially a breadwinner, the pressure from family members or society often led to the withdrawal or absconding of court processes.

“Culturally, it’s unheard of to report a spouse to the police for abuse, the family is going to come in and because there is no safe space for me as a survivor or victim of GBV, I’m unable to seek services so sometimes we have a lot of cases going unreported. For them to see justice through, there is need for a safe space to rest emotionally in order to come to terms with what has happened.”

She said her organisation was engaging various stakeholders that include the Department of Social Welfare and local authorities to ensure that structures are identified and refurbished to become safe houses.

Mrs Robina Chimowa from Girl Child Network said cases related to GBV were also being exacerbated by the economic situation where a dependency on male spouses for sustenance was leading women to remain silent in the face of abuse.

“It has been noted that women who are abused by their spouses who are breadwinners tend to suffer in silence as reporting would most likely result in re-victimisation by the perpetrator, family members or community. Nowadays as part of addressing economic challenges faced in the home, women are being trained in various income generating projects through the Ministry of Women Affairs. There is need for continuous awareness raising on the legal statutes that protect citizens from GBV while also addressing access to services in rural communities,” she said.

Mrs Ruth Bikwa of Hopeville Zimbabwe, a children’s rights organisation bemoaned the impact of GBV on minors in violent environments arguing that they also needed safe havens.

“Children who are exposed to GBV also need to be protected from further harm and such shelters are important in the fight to end this scourge that has claimed lives and left many more scarred for life. Children are the most affected when exposed to such environment as the memories are etched in their minds and manifest later in their adult life. Government should act fast to ensure that women and children are protected from violence by establishing these houses as they play an important role in the fight against GBV. These shelters not only provide a safe haven from further violence but it is where survivors are also empowered economically with skills so that they are not too dependent on their spouses.”

According to Musasa Project, a key player in the establishment of safe houses across the country, 1 312 cases of GBV were record during the month of April while as of May 18, 649 had been reported bringing the total to 1 961.

“The issue of safe house or shelters is important to protect and safeguard women who are facing life-threatening situations at home. Due to the sanctioned lockdown, perpetrators take advantage of the situation knowing that a woman cannot willingly travel to the next clinic, police station or relative’s house. Home becomes an incubation hub for abuse. Without a safe shelter within reach of women, some cases of GBV become fatal. The loss of life, grave injuries and untold suffering will continue to happen to women who have nowhere to take refuge. As Musasa, we acknowledge the importance of having shelters across the country as our experience in the shelter program has shown that so many women who have been housed have been empowered to take a stand against gender based violence and have been protected from physical, emotional and sexual harm,” said Programmes and Advocacy Officer, Mrs Rotina Mafume-Musara.

Matabeleland North Provincial Development Officer in the ministry of Women Affairs, Community Development and Small to Medium Enterprises, Mr Masauso Phiri said the province was saddled with high cases of GBV especially in mining districts of Bubi, Umguza and Hwange.

“The province has many cases of GBV especially in mining districts such as Bubi, Umguza and Hwange. The challenge is that so many of the cases go unreported and government agencies such as ZRP, VFU, MoHCC, Courts, Social Welfare operate in silos and don’t share information. The ministry does not have officers in all the wards which means very few campaigns are done especially in hard to reach areas and this is one of the contributing factors to low figures. In addition, the majority of the victims are women who might not be economically independent of the abuser so it becomes difficult to report cases of abuse. As we are faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, it becomes more difficult to report GBV cases due to the lockdown. There is minimum movement, less social interaction and people spend more time indoors. There is no transport to the district centres where many services are found such as police, health and legal services,” said Mr Phiri.

He said the only available safe shelter in Bubi district which had the capacity to house over 15 GBV survivors was not enough to cater for the whole province.

“There is only one safe house in the province which is in Bubi district fully funded by Musasa. The shelter has a capacity to house over 15 GBV survivors, females only. Safe houses are necessary for cooling off emotions. However, the scenario is people report the abuse and the perpetrator is taken in for questioning or court but these two go back to the same dwelling after reporting or court appearance and this exposes the survivor to further abuse. The lack of safe houses has affected the fight against GBV because cases are not solved due to the survivors dropping the cases after being manipulated by the perpetrators. Family members are also manipulated by the perpetrators thereby assisting in coercing the complainant to withdraw the case. There is just too much interference with the complainant by the community, family and the perpetrator.”

Mr Phiri said his ministry was working with other GBV stakeholders such as Musasa, UNFPA and churches such as the Roman Catholic to establish more safe shelters in the province.

“An NGO called Adra is also willing to partner with the ministry to open one shelter at Jotsholo in Lupane district. Funds permitting, we could have these safe houses at constituency level then cascade to ward level in partnership with traditional leadership.”

Meanwhile, organisations such as BMT and Media4Gender Justice have been implementing rights based projects were communities are taught their rights on the justice delivery system when it comes to sexual and gender based violence while assisting survivors with tracking and monitoring their court cases.