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MASHONALAND Central province recorded the highest number of incidences of women who were at one time abused by their intimate partners for various reasons, a baseline study on violence against women has revealed.Bulawayo province had the lowest reported cases of violence against women that were perpetrated by their intimate partners.
The Violence Against Women (VAW) baseline study that was launched in Harare yesterday showed that nine in every 10 women –about 88 percent- in Mashonaland Central reported that they experienced some form of abuse from their intimate partners. In this instance the term intimate partner violence describes physical, sexual, economic, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse.
According to the study that was carried out between 2011 and 2012, it revealed that physical, emotional, economic sexual and abuse in pregnancy were some of the abuses that women in the province endured in their lifetime, with some of the cases resulting permanent disability and death of the victim.
However the prevalence rate of reported cases in the province does not correspond with the reported cases of perpetrators, which stood at 18 percent. What it means is that although more women were abused and reported their cases to the police during the stated period, only a small percentage of men were pinned down for these offences, or rather they did not own up to the offences they had committed.
“It appears that while women in Mashonaland Central province more openly disclosed their experience, men were less likely to disclose perpetration. This study did not further probe the reasons of why this could be case,” the study noted.
Matabeleland South Province had the second highest experience prevalence at 74 percent. This means three in four women in the province reported experiencing some form of violence from their intimate partner. Midlands Province had the third highest prevalence of abuse of women by their partners, followed by Mashonaland West Province.
Masvingo was on the fifth position, followed by Harare, Mashonaland East province, Manicaland, Matabeleland North and Bulawayo, which was the last with the lowest reported cases of women who reported that they were abused by their intimate partners. Speaking during the launch of the report, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Dr Perpetual Gumbo called on the community to report all forms of violence against women and children.
“We have been speaking about violence against women for a long, but we need to end this once and for the good of our nation,” said Dr Gumbo.
Online Reporter