adminCatherine Murombedzi H I V Column
VIOLENCE comes in many forms. When people talk of violence, what comes to the mind is physical beating. That is violence yes, but violence can also be mental, verbal and in action. All these forms leave scars, but the scars that we usually see and identify are the physical ones.
A bruised eye, a broken arm or a burnt leg are the visible scars. All these would have been inflicted on one by a spouse, a parent or guardian and even a stranger. There are scars that are carried in the heart. These are not visible to the eye. If one does not open up that they are suffering usually people do not notice. One can get depressed and withdraw from everyday living due to stressful environments. This stressful environment can either be at home, school, work or even at the church.
Churches are supposed to give solace and comfort, but at times this is not the case. We will take a look at that in the next instalment. For now a closer look at when the home becomes the most dangerous place for a human being.
However, most forms of violence are within the home. The home is supposed to be a safe haven for its occupants. This is not necessarily the case it can be a very dangerous place for some.
It was disturbing to read in our sister paper The Herald that a Harare man burnt his wife’s ARVs as a way of punishing her every time they had a misunderstanding. Sibongile Ndlovu appeared at the Harare Civil Court claiming that her husband, Mathius Ndlovu also slept with a knife underneath his pillow to intimidate her. She was seeking a protection order against Mathius whom she accused of breaching her peace and making her life unbearable.
“He burns my ARVs whenever we have a misunderstanding and at times he closes all the windows and burns spices in the house choking me and the children,” Sibongile Ndlovu said.
Sibongile told magistrate, Mr Trevor Nyatsanza that Mathius also sold household property to sponsor his alcoholic lifestyle.
“I am now living in fear because he is now threatening to kill me and most of the time he sleeps with a knife underneath his pillow,” she said.
Mathius said he never burnt spices, but that they spilled on the hot plate as he was preparing his food.
Mr Nyatsanza granted the order in Sibongile’s favour barring Mathius from physically or verbally abusing his wife.
Had Sibongile not sought the court’s interdiction, what could have happened to her is anyone’s guess. My concern is the burning of Sibongile’s life-long medication by her husband.
ARVs suppress the replication of the virus. They have to be taken as specifically prescribed. They are taken for life. In the above case where the tablets are burnt Sibongile may result in failing to take her medication.
If one fails to take anti retroviral therapy then the virus mutates which means that it multiples with vengeance. The medication that one was using fails to suppress that virus any longer.
That is the danger of taking ARVs and stopping or forgetting to take them.
When that happens a patient has to be moved onto the next line of ARVs which are stronger and able to suppress the virus. This second generation medicine is expensive as compared to the first line that one was using prior to treatment failure. The treatment failure in this instance has been caused by inconsistent taking up of ARVs.
With a multiplying viral load more efficacious ARVs are now needed. Most people in Zimbabwe are on the government sponsored programme. People usually say the ARVs are for free. They are not for free, someone has paid for the purchase of that medication and hence there should be no abuse of access and treatment.
Zimbabwe’s ARVs and malaria and tuberculosis medicines are procured through the Global Fund. The country has a support fund that is domestic but that is little and we depend on donor funding for health which is in a very precarious position. For the 2013 to 2016 period the Global Fund availed $500m to Zimbabwe.
The domestic fund in 2013 was $33m and the following year rose by another $2 million and in 2015 was $36m. This is insufficient and were donor funding cut, I imagine the worst would happen to all supported by that fund.
In one burning the tablets, that is gross abuse because someone paid for that medication. It is also a violation of the person taking that medicine whose life is placed in danger.
Violence is therefore seen to be mental as the wife fails to sleep peacefully with spouse’s head over a knife welding pillow. She also has her health threatened and this is inhuman. The courts did well as Mathius was ordered to keep peace towards Sibongile all the time.
May we make the home a safe space for everyone.
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