Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu [email protected]
WHEN a girl’s relationship with an older man only comes to light after she falls pregnant, the consequences can go beyond an unplanned pregnancy, exposing her to HIV infection and denying her timely access to medical care.
In Matabeleland South’s Umzingwane District, delayed reporting of sexual abuse involving adolescent girls remains a major concern, with families sometimes concealing cases involving people they know.
The National Aids Council (NAC)-supported One Stop Centre, run by the Zimbabwe Association of Church-Related Hospitals (Zach), is working to break this cycle through early reporting, HIV prevention, legal assistance and psychosocial support.
Figures from the centre show that the number of survivors assisted rose from 217 in 2024 to 255 in 2025.
Between January and June 2026, another 150 survivors were assisted.
Of the cases handled, 74 were sexual abuse cases in 2025 and 45 between January and June 2026.
Only 11 cases in 2025 and 10 in 2026 were reported within 72 hours, the critical window for accessing time-sensitive interventions.
Between January and September 2025, five adolescents tested HIV positive among 122 adolescent girls and young women tested, representing a 4,1 percent yield.
Zach programmes officer for Umzingwane, Ms Portia Ndlovu, said cases involving sexual relations between minors and older men often emerge only after pregnancy or other complications.
She cited a case involving a 17-year-old girl and a 60- year-old man among the worst handled by the centre.
“Late reporting is a huge issue for us as an HIV programme because there is some interrelation between HIV transmission and gender based violence. In cases of late reporting, the survivor is not able to access Pre- Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, emergency contraceptives which are time-limited,” Ms Ndlovu said.
She said when someone is sexually abused, they are supposed to report within 72 hours for them to be tested for HIV.
She noted that most cases, which fall under Section 70, are reported late when the caregivers or parents come to report when they notice that the child is pregnant.
“For rape, some cases are reported early. For most cases reported within 72 hours, the perpetrators would be unknown. For cases that happen within the home or familiar environment, some cases are reported late as families would try to cover up,” said Ms Ndlovu.
She urged parents, guardians and communities to report suspected sexual abuse promptly and engage the relevant authorities rather than wait for pregnancy or other complications to expose the abuse. Ms Ndlovu said some adolescent girls and young women enter relationships with older men
without appreciating the consequences while others lie about their ages to protect their partners.
Established in 2018 with funding from The Global Fund under UNDP and NAC, the centre provides integrated post-violence care for adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24, a group considered at high risk of HIV infection.
Its services are built around four pillars: psychological support, police services, legal services and medical care.
The centre also works with 30 Start Awareness Support Action (Sassa) champions across 10 wards in Umzingwane District to raise awareness, identify cases and encourage survivors to seek help.
Umzingwane District Aids co-ordinator Mr Mduduzi Ngwenya said Zach had been subcontracted to implement the One Stop Centre and Sassa models, which seek to address the social and cultural factors that influence behaviour.
“The Sassa model is an ecological model which focuses on the layers of society in our response. We realise that there are so many things that influence the behaviour of individuals in terms norms and values,” he said.
“We target the religion, tradition leaders, school, peers as well as the family. Through the Sassa programme we put in place structures within communities, raise awareness on gender based violence and the existence of the one stop centre as well as supporting survivors. We also expect communities to be proactive in reporting,” he said.
Mr Ngwenya said adolescent girls and young women account for many survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, making targeted interventions essential.
Through initiatives such as “Not in my village”, communities are being encouraged to challenge harmful norms and behaviours, while programming is increasingly targeting male sexual partners rather than focusing only on educating and empowering girls.
“The transmission of HIV is sexual and if the sexual encounter has violence then the likelihood of HIV infection also goes up. We normally find most new cases in sexual gender based violence because of the violent nature of the sexual activity. If victims of gender based violence are able to report sexual abuse within 72 hours we can prevent the spread of HIV,” he said.
The Umzingwane initiative is being cited by NAC as a model that could be replicated across Matabeleland South to tackle the links between HIV, teenage pregnancy, child marriage and violence against children.
Its success, however, depends on communities breaking the silence around abuse and ensuring that girls receive help before pregnancy or other complications expose their suffering.
