Police should prioritise dealing with hard crimes once and for all

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
THE country has recorded a number of armed robbery and burglary cases where in some instances, criminals go on to sexually violate victims.

Last month, five armed robbers raped three women when they raided their home in Upper Rangemore on the outskirts of Bulawayo.

In April, a Zimbabwe Passenger Company employee was gang-raped by four men who forcibly escorted her back to her home in Emthunzini suburb where they took turns to sexually violate her.

The police have accounted for some of the criminals but the story of the sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) trauma and scars the victims endure after the assault is hardly ever told.

A sister to one of the victims, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, wept as she narrated how four men took turns to rape her sister, taking away her virginity in the process.

“They could have taken anything but for them, that was not enough. They took turns to rape her. When one of them was raping her, others would be searching the house for money. All of them raped her. All along she was a ‘girl’ and it’s these criminals who took that away from her,” she said.

The abuse has far reaching effects at family level and has at times led to the disintegration of families.

Analysts have called on the police to swiftly deal with the criminals as they leave broken societies.

Zimbabwe Christian Alliance director Reverend Useni Sibanda said police should prioritise dealing with hard crimes once and for all.

“There is a lot of violence and trauma that goes with these crimes because of the nature they are done where women are sexually violated.

And in cases where women are being raped or sexually violated in front of her husband, that has serious implications on marriages. In most cases, it means these couples would need a lot of counselling,” said Rev Sibanda.

“It’s not the woman’s fault however, in cases of sexual violence that are done against a spouse, there is risk of marriages breaking unless there is counselling that is done to help both of them.”

He said due to masculine nature, it is difficult for a man to accept that his wife is violated and they continue as normal as he would have failed to protect her.

His sentiments were echoed by Sheikh Isaac Ali, who is a leader in the Muslim community in Bulawayo who said they were dealing with SGBV cases in the wake of a surge in robbery cases in the city.

“We deal with such cases a lot. You will find that a lot of men find it hard to find closure when their spouses are violated by other men.

Some of them even come to us and would be wanting out of the marriages. Not because they don’t love their wives, but because they do not want to stomach the evil that comes with the action,” said Sheikh Ali.

“Because being men and for some reason us with an African background, there is a thought that cannot be entertained to say my wife has been involved with another man. So, when that happens (wife is raped) it affects the man in a very serious way. In as much as the husband will know that she had no hand in it, but some will start looking at her with a different eye.”

He said even in circumstances where the husband tries to support his wife, their bedroom life would be over.

“As long as they don’t find closure and healing, it will be very hard to get sexually physical again. The husband might be supportive but it might be difficult for the wife because she would be coming from a horror ordeal, she would be needing proper guidance and counselling for them to get through that but as long as there is no professional help many at times, it will not be possible for them to get to a point where they get physical again. It will actually be torture,” he said.

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association gender officer Ms Abigail Siziba said the rise in hard crimes has far reaching gender complexities affecting both men and women.

Ms Siziba said when women are raped, they also are subjected to societal stereotypes as opposed to being supported as victims.

“Women are being raped not just at home but as they are going home, especially those that work late and use public transport. As opposed to being taken as victims, women are blamed for being raped. Questions such as ‘how were you dressed’ start coming up, things that have nothing to do with rape. This is also contributing to divorce cases as men generally find it difficult to live with their wives when they have been raped,” said Ms Siziba.

She said the situation is worsened by some men who do not want to participate in counselling sessions after their spouses are raped.

“There is need for advocacy to target men as well so that they can be assisted in understanding rape. This will help them in dealing with rape so that in case their spouses are sexually violated, they can assist them,” she said.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said while the city has recorded some rape and robbery cases, police remain committed to eradicating crime.

“Some of the criminals involved in these rape and robbery cases have since been arrested and have appeared in court. As police we appeal to members of the public to assist the police in identifying some of the criminals as they live within our communities,” said Insp Ncube. — @nqotshili