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Dr Josephine Shambare-Correspondent
Part 8
In the Zimbabwean traditional culture, a mother is viewed as the fortress in times of trouble and her major role in the home involves looking after the children to ensure that they are safe. The same applies to the modern-day mother. Research conducted by this writer showed that children fell victim to sexual abuse when: the mother or guardian was not paying full attention to the child, the child was away from home on errands, the child was not staying with the mother following the death or divorce of the mother; or any other social problem that removed the mother from the child. In most of the CSA cases, the offenders were mainly close relatives and neighbours. In view of the aforesaid, the popular Shona adage ‘Kusina amai hakuendwi‘ literally meaning ‘Where there is no mother, you do not go there because there is no protection’; is apt. This is buttressed by Progress Chipfumo’s song ‘Kurepa mwana’ (Raping a child):
Amai vakati kumurume wavo, baba boy (The wife says to her husband, “my husband”)
Baba boy, ndichambofamba (My husband, I will be travelling)
Sarai muchengete vana, baba boy (Look after the children, my husband)
Murume ndokusara nevana vakesvo (The husband then takes advantage of the children)
Ndokubata chibharo mwanasikana wake (He rapes his daughter)
Kwahi ihuku iri kudya mazai ayo (He says it is the ‘hen eating its own eggs’)
While so much attention is paid to the victim, it is equally important to focus and understand the mindset of the offenders for deterrence; from the few following examples: The first example is that of people who once witnessed or experienced sexual abuse in their early lives, either as victims, witnesses or both. When a child is sexually abused at childhood, he/she experiences personal disorders and poor self-esteem, which in turn develop into mental disorder.
Such mental disorder then becomes ground for evil thoughts to commit CSA. A good number of sexually abused boys or girls tend to molest children in their later lives. They develop the belief that it is ‘justifiable’ to sexually abuse children as they were also abused during their childhood, and the chain goes on. The same notion is weighed in by South African poet, Mzwakhe Mbuli, in ‘Violence Against Women and Children’:
l Abused children become future abusers
l Abusive conduct is a violation of ubuntu
l Child rape is barbaric, period
l Eradication of respect dehumanises
Amadoda azihlukumezelani ingani ezincane? (Why do men abuse infants?)
The second example is that of persons that commit CSA for sexual pleasure. The offender weighs the benefits of sexual pleasure against the costs of being arrested and imprisoned. If he/she perceives that sexual pleasure resulting from sexually abusing a child would outweigh the pain or cost of imprisonment, then he/she will go ahead and commit CSA.
The third example of offenders ascribes to myths and beliefs such as:
(a) ‘Women ask for it’ attitude: a misconception that women or girls are sexually assaulted for having ‘asked for it’ for example, through their dressing.
(b) Child marriage: forced marriages through false prophecies and dreams about who should become whose wife; in order to psychologically subdue girls into submission.
(c) Appeasement of the avenging spirit: a process where a virgin is given to the family of the deceased to appease the spirit.
(d) Make-belief love: a practice of make-belief love between brother-in-law and younger sister-in-law. In most cases, it begins with the fondling of breasts until the brother-in-law manages to sleep with the young girl.
(e) Muzukuru inzungu yakateya gonzo: It’s a notion that points to an implied right for an uncle, brother-in-law or grandfather to have sex with his niece, sister-in-law or grand-daughter; respectively.
(f) Juju: charm to heal chronic diseases, to get rich, et cetera
The fourth example is that of paedophiles who are naturally attracted to young children who show no signs of physical and sexual development. These offenders have extremely erotic cravings for children and want inappropriate sexual relations with someone who will not reject or belittle them.
To get to the child, the offender has to fight his/her conscience, for instance, by drinking alcohol, to have ‘Dutch courage’. The next move will be to deal with the presence of the parent or guardian who may detect his/her plan and have him/her arrested.
Thus, he/she will carefully plan or simply take the opportunity by capitalising on: an ill mother, social isolation of the family, lack of supervision of the child, et cetera. Lastly, the offender will deal with the child’s possible resistance which entails a lot of strategy.
Abusers usually use many different methods to gain access and build trust with the child through gifting, using threats of violence or desensitising the child to sex.
As one listens to the late Oliver Mutukudzi song ‘Tapindwa nei?’ (What has become of us?), one echoes the same questions:
Kana riri domba (If is sexual desire)
Idomba rudzii vakomana? (What kind of sexual desire is that, my fellow men?)
Kana yave nzara, (If it is sexual hunger)
Inzara rudzii varume wee? (What kind of sexual hunger is that, my fellow men?)
Kubata mwana chibharo asati akomba (Raping a child before she has become of age
The three artists cited clearly demonstrate that CSA:
(a) Stifles the physical and mental development of a child
(b) Brings anguish and agony, not only to the victim but to the whole society
(c) Is unacceptable in society, and
(d) Is a crime
The law therefore seeks to protect the child from unfair exploitation by socially immorally adults or more mature children; especially taking into account the immaturity and inability of a child to fully appreciate the consequences of inappropriate sexual conduct.
Dr Josephine Shambare writes on social issues for entertainment and awareness, in her own capacity. Excerpts are taken from her unpublished autobiography; and PhD thesis: ‘The Enigma of Child Sexual Abuse in the Zimbabwean context: Beyond Statistics’
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