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Mirriam Madiye
Features Writer
The Covid-19 pandemic has altered the global and economic landscape in a short space of time.
Every country in the world has been affected and Zimbabwe has not been spared.
During this time, cases of sexual gender based violence (SGBV), child marriages and teen pregnancies became rife in the country.
Some parents and guardians have become perpetrators and “monsters” in instigating the injustices and ills to the children.
Women and girls were the most affected during this period as a number of girls dropped out of school as a result of early marriages and teen pregnancies.
Different organisations in the country are working hand in hand to correct the imbalances of SGBV by providing legal help, financial assistance, shelter, moral and psychological support to the survivors of the abuse.
The Herald caught up with some of the survivors of SGBV in Mashonaland West province.
One of the girls is Shorai (not real name).
Her dreams of going to school like other girls her age were shattered before she finished primary school.
When she was in Grade 7, she dropped out of school leaving her exposed to SGBV. She now stays at Makonde safe shelter, which houses survivors of gender based violence (GBV) as they recuperate.
Here, they are taught different life skills such as sewing, confectionery, gardening and many others to empower them.
As 19-year-old Shorai recalled the day when she was sexually abused by her sister’s husband, she could not hide her pain.
“After the death of my father in 2008, my mother remarried and started staying with my stepfather. It was not conducive. I started formal school at an older age. My stepfather did not afford to send my siblings and I to school.”
Shorai said from Grade 4 up to 7, she would work in fields to pay for her school fees.
“When l was doing Grade 7, my sister came home and took me to Chinhoyi and promised to send me to school,” she said.
“After spending one week at her home without going to look for a school place for me, l then asked her to do so.
“The next day she went out saying she was looking for the place and when she came back she told me that she did not find anything.”
Shorai later learnt that her sister did not go to any school to look for the place.
Two weeks later, her sister asked her to accompany her to a local bakery out of town to buy bread for resale.
“My sister told me that her husband loves me and that l should fall in love with him because they cannot look after me for free. I had to pay them.”
Shorai refused to be in a relationship with him, but little did she know that her sister and her husband had connived. Moments later, the husband immediately came where they were. This is when her sister allegedly helped her husband to rape her.
“I was raped in front of my sister. My sister pushed me to the ground and her husband sexually abused me. After the incident, l asked them about my future, no one could answer that question.”
Her brother had no kind words for her after he told him about her ordeal.
“When l told my brother about the incident, he told me that because of the apostolic sect we belong to, any man that l would have slept with becomes my husband and l should not complain,” said Shorai.
“I had no one to tell my ordeal and was forced to stay and be comfortable with my situation.”
Shorai reiterated that at one time she tried to run away from her sister’s place to Lion’s Den, but unfortunately she was caught before going far and sent back home. She became used to the abuse and became pregnant.
“When I went into labour, they did not take me to the hospital. There was no trained nurse to assist me in delivering the baby.”
The experience was traumatising.
“They pulled the baby leading to my bladder being damaged and they did not tell me what had happened,” recalled Shorai.
She highlighted that is when she developed obstetric fistula, a hole between the birth canal and bladder and or rectum. It is caused by prolonged obstructed labour without access to timely, high quality medical treatment.
Upon noticing Shorai’s deteriorating condition, her sister and husband sent her to Chitsidzo (a place where members of her church got for spiritual treatment when ill).
Despite being at Chitsidzo, Shorai’s condition did not change. Shorai revealed that her sister did not tell their mother what she was going through.
“All this while my mother thought that l was going to school. She did not know anything as my sister kept her in the dark even on the issue of the pregnancy,” she said.
When her mother heard about her ordeal, she came and took Shorai to her brother’s place.
“l disclosed the matter to them and that is when the case was reported to the police,” she said.
She added that following the police report, she stayed at Hurungwe Safe Shelter in Karoi and was later transferred to Makonde shelter.
“As a result of the fistula l could not associate and stay with other people because of continuous urinating,” said Shorai.
“The shelter greatly assisted me as they made sure that the fistula was repaired and that continuous urinating stopped. The problem took one year two months to come to an end. Now l can associate with other teenagers and women freely,” she said.
Shorai urged parents to take care of their girl children so that they do not suffer from the ills of the society.
“Parents should let their children grow rather than to let them enter into marriage at a tender age,” she pointed out.
Her sister’s husband absconded and up to now he has not been caught. She has aspirations for her future and marriage is something out of her mind.
“After l leave this shelter, with the life skills that l am empowered with, l do not wish to get married. I wish to find a job and work so that l can fend for my mother,” she said.
Fourteen-year-old Matilda Masimba (not her real name) from Karoi, has defied the odds.
Matilda was raped and abused by a 26-year-old neighbour and become a mother at the age of 14.
She always had a dream of becoming an engineer and after going through the emotional trauma caused by the rape, she pursued her dreams. Matilda now a mother to a three-month old baby enrolled back at a local secondary school and she is doing Form 2.
She hopes to become an engineer.
Early each morning, Matilda prepares for school and also ensures she returns home to breastfeed her baby during break and lunch time. Her parents Mr and Mrs Masimba, said it was not easy for them to accept what had happened to their daughter.
“At first we were very disappointed like any other parents after we discovered that our daughter was three months pregnant. We sent her to the man who had impregnated her. The man was our neighbour.
We went to seek guidance and counselling from the local deputy headmaster as this issue was a serious one,” said Mr Masimba.
He added the deputy headmaster advised them to take back their daughter from the man, report the matter to the police and engage Family Aids Caring Trust (FACT) as they deal with cases of survivors of SGBV.
The father also highlighted that they discussed the matter with his wife and decided it was best from them to take back their daughter and send her to school.
“Besides being impregnated, our daughter was young and has a brighter future ahead. We thought marriage was not ideal for her, but school was the best way,” Mrs Masimba said.
She said after taking back their daughter from the man, they reported the case to the police.
They also called Faith Mudzinge from FACT Zimbabwe who is the programme officer for Spotlight Initiative in Hurungwe to help them.
Matilda was sent to stay at the shelter when she was eight months pregnant.
She gave birth whilst staying there and two weeks after giving birth she returned home.
After returning from the shelter, the headmaster allowed Matilda to enroll at the local high school when schools opened in March.
Matilda’s father said they got moral support from the family and community members.
“We became the heroes in our community as many girls and children were abused and impregnated and their cases were not being reported to the police.
The parents urged other parents to seek counselling and advice and also report cases of abuses such rape, SGBV to the police.
Another 23-year-old woman Nyaradzo (not her real name) from Zvimba was sexually abused and impregnated by her father.
She now has a five-year-old son.
“My father raped me when I was doing Form 3 at the age of 16,” she said.
“I gave birth to my child when I finished writing my Ordinary Level examinations.”
Reporting her ordeal of the sexual abuse to her aunt the next day was futile.
“She insulted and threatened me to silence. She said I would be sent away from home if I said anything,” she said.
Nyaradzo’s aunt did not believe what she told her.
She added that she had no one to turn to for help.
“After giving birth to my son, my grandmother and uncle asked me about the father of the baby,” said Nyaradzo. ‘
Nyaradzo said following her disclosure, the issue was referred to the chief’s court.
“When we were first summoned to the chief’s court, the case was not heard and we were asked to come for the second time. We went but were asked to return for the third time.
“Before we could go the chief’s court for the third time, my father was arrested by the police and that is when l was admitted to the shelter.
“When I went to the shelter I was pained about my case, but was later happy when the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) tests were conducted as my father had refused that he had raped me and that he was the biological father to my son.”
After the DNA was conducted, her father was found guilty, sentenced in April this year and is currently serving a 15-year jail term.
She received different life skills that include gardening, detergent making and poultry.
“Having stayed at the shelter for 11 months, I received some life skills at the shelter,” she said. “I am doing some gardening and have grown some vegetables which I sell to the local people so that l can get money for the upkeep of the children.”
She urged other women and girls facing SGBV and GBV or any problem to share their problems. All her relatives have cut ties with her after the imprisonment of her father. She now stays with her uncle and grandmother in another village.
The safe shelter initiative by FACT is being funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the districts to house survivors of SGBV.
FACT under the Spotlight Initiative with UNFPA is aiming to eliminate cases of gender based violence and harmful practices in the Hurungwe and Makonde districts.
FACT is also conducting community awareness programmmes and dialogues with the communities on Covid-19 pandemic, GBV, harmful practices and sexual reproductive health and rights. It is working with organisations such as the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development; Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Victim Friendly Unit; Zimbabwe Women Legal Association (ZWLA); departments from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to correct the imbalances of GBV.
The UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman and child to promote a life health and equal opportunity.
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