adminFairness Moyana, Hwange Correspondent
THE Matabeleland North Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) sub-committee has expressed concern over the increase in juvenile sex crime cases in the province which have been blamed on proliferation of youths being exposed to pornographic material mainly through mobile phones.
Speaking during a VFC meeting last week, the committee chairperson who is also Hwange regional magistrate, Mrs Dambudzo Malunga said the trend was worrying and urged human rights campaigners and stakeholders to talk about the effects of pornography in awareness campaigns.
“The recent trend in sex crimes being committed by juveniles is very worrying and as the courts we have tried to pass convictions that preach a message to discourage would-be offenders but it hasn’t done much. I encourage all stakeholders to talk about pornography in their campaigns because most perpetrators usually highlight that they commit crimes as a result of watching pornographic material,” said Mrs Malunga.
She said courts were worried with the trend which is contributing to societal decay.
“We need to approach this scourge which is eating into our societal fabric collectively. Campaigns in the identified areas need to be intensified and we must not forget to speak about pornography in our meetings with young people,” she added.
Last month Hwange was rocked by an incident in which two Chilisa Secondary School pupils aged 16 teamed up and pounced on their 15-year-old mate and raped her. The juveniles who were convicted and received corporal punishment of four strokes each with a rattan cane said they raped the girl after watching pornography.
In another spine chilling incident a 17-year-old Jambezi boy raped his three nieces who had been left in his custody.
The juvenile later told the court that he was just imitating what he had seen on a mobile phone.
It is understood that the regional court has so far handled more than 20 cases of rape involving juveniles under the age of 16 this year alone. Notable cases involving juvenile offenders have been recorded in Jambezi, Dete, Binga and Lupane. The committee also raised a red flag on the increase in early marriages and violence against persons living with disabilities, mostly girls and women in Dete and Jambezi.
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