More male victims of domestic violence step up in Kwekwe

TRADITIONALLY, it was taboo for African men to report cases of abuse especially by their female intimate partners.

In fact, some police officers would poke fun at a man walking into the police station to report a case of abuse, which made them suffer in silence as a result.

However, as the world moves towards achieving a society which has equal rights for both men and women, facilities have been put in place to ensure that both men and women have equal access to justice, freedom and medical care among others.

Organisations working closely with Government have made it easy for victims of domestic, be it male or female, to come forward and report their cases freely and access to the services.

During a recent Kwekwe district child protection committee meeting, it emerged that more male victims have been reporting cases of abuse ranging from psychological, emotional or physical abuse, and domestic violence among others.

While most cases were perpetrated by either a wife or girlfriend, some cases came in the form of child labour, sodomy and sexual abuse.

Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) is one organization which is assisting victims with legal assistance and any other assistance and has since recorded abuse cases from men.
According to LRF legal officer, Mr Bernard Kafesu from April to June, the organization received eight cases of abuse against men.
“Violence and abuse against men has been on the increase lately and most cases we received were domestic violence, sexual abuse (having intercourse with a minor) and child labour among others,” he said.
He said child labour was majorly being driven by poverty as some parents send their under-aged children to work for food.
“Some parents are using male children for incoming generating projects as a survival means. We are seeing poverty also driving some parents even marrying off the girl child,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Association of Church-related Hospitals (ZACH) has established a One Stop Centre (OSC) which is meant, at reducing new HIV infections by ensuring access to comprehensive GBV services in the district and other districts across the country.
Although being implemented by a Global Fund Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGWY) which targets mainly female victims, the centre has also received cases of male abuse.
OSC Administrator, Mr Admire Chitambo said more than 10 males, including those aged above 25 and those below came forward to report abuse by both females and males.
“The centre has handled more than ten cases involving men over 25 and boys below that age group. Most cases reported by the men are domestic ranging from psychological, economic and physical abuse, especially by their intimate partners,” he said.
Mr Chitambo said those reported by boys range from sodomy and sexual abuse by women either of the same age or elderly women.
He said adult males mainly perpetrate sexual offences on young boys.
During the peak of the covid-19 pandemic, cases of domestic violence increased mainly owing to the economic challenges brought about by the pandemic.
Other organizations like PLAN Zimbabwe also came in handy as they collaborated with the government to introduce a number of projects to avert poverty within homes and curb domestic violence in the homes.
Chairperson of the Kwekwe DCPC, who is also Assistant District Development Coordinator, Mr Reason Machina hailed the partners for coming up with such programmes and complementing government efforts to curb violence.
“We applaud such organizations that are coming to complement government efforts that ensure that men do not suffer in silence. We have seen more organizations coming to the rescue of the girl child and women, but we are glad that some are now listening to the concerns of men,” said Mr Machina.