adminWe are not worried about numbers, death is death. The loss of one woman is a great loss to the children, the family and the nation at large. The contribution of that single hand to national development, to the labour market, to the social fibre is immense and cannot be over-emphasised. Recently, the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province witnessed the gruesome murder of two women, Lydia Sibanda and Miriam Nyoni (nee Takavingofa) both in cold blood.
The facts are that Givemore Nyazvigo (30) of Number 82 Cecil Avenue allegedly killed his wife Lydia Sibanda (25) following an argument over a telephone call. Chronicle on 6 September 2011 reported that he allegedly kept the body at their home for two days before cutting it into pieces and dumping them around the city.
On the other hand, Miriam Nyoni was allegedly brutally killed by her husband at their Mpopoma home and had some of her body parts chopped into pieces as well. Chronicle on 15 March 2012 reported that Mrs Nyoni had her skull split with a machete before Goodman Nyoni tried to commit suicide by slitting his wrists with a machete. Another gruesome murder also took place in Chiwundura where an 18-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her husband, a police constable, following yet another domestic dispute over an alleged extra marital affair with a neighbour. We cannot continue to lose lives in the name of insanity.
The Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development condemns such behaviour and the loss of women’s lives. If a relationship is irreconcilable then why can’t people divorce? While domestic violence affects all in some way, and while some men too suffer violence at the hands of their partners, it is mainly women who have continued to suffer and to bear the brunt of gender-based violence. At times it starts off as mere threats that balloons and ends up in tragedy. Women should get worried and take these threats seriously. A man who continuously reminds you that in deed one day he will kill you will definitely kill you. Why the utterances in the first place? Some men have created a very difficult position in homes where women live in fear and rarely enjoy the fruits of their marriage.
It is high time women stand up and defend their rights and avoid, as much as possible, suffering in silence. Gender-based violence has continued under the disguise of patriarchy and male dominance and superiority over women. Gender-based violence has flourished out of the notion of unequal power relations between men and women, women have continued to struggle against gender-based violence. Some have even lost hope and do not even see the value of reporting to close relatives or to the police. Women at times have no choice but to continue to live in dangerous homes.
Across the globe, women are seen as property owned by the husband and his family. Men still believe and are under the impression that they own their wives just like they own their houses or cars. As such, the integrity of women’s personhood is undermined by the consequences that even their capacity to participate in the public domain of political office, electoral processes and policy formulation is curtailed as their decision -making powers are subordinated to male guardianship and marital power.
This yoke of bondage, this powerlessness, this subordination can be reinforced as well as reinvented by women themselves. Women often endure serious violation of their women rights at the hands of their husbands or partners. Women’s concerns are usually treated as private concerns that belong in the private sphere and therefore not suited for public discourse or intervention. It is this institutionalised licence to violence and human rights violation that has led to growing incidences of violence against women by men. Women ought to report incidences of violence and must not wait till the situation grows out of proportion.
While the principle of gender equity and equality is now recognised and while various instruments are in place locally, regionally and internationally, equality between the sexes particularly in the context of marriage institution is still far from being achieved. As long as men are not supportive of issues around gender equity and equality then women’s struggles to expose gender-based injustice and the demand for redress remains futile.
Literature reveals that different groups of women encounter distinct challenges in their marriages and some which cause permanent physical, mental and psychological harm. Women’s precarious position and their failure to exercise their rights is further exacerbated by the fact that few women are not in positions of power so that they can also influence policy change. In most households women have limited control over critical household decisions such as those involving their own health care or large purchases.
It must be borne in mind that gender inequalities also place constraints to national development and growth. At the mesodimension of the economy (which mediates between the micro and the macro), gender inequalities and gender biases in say labour, credit and goods market have shown to have costs for the economy as a whole in terms of misallocation of resources, inefficiencies and depressed economic growth. In the financial sector for example, women entrepreneurs have confirmed to face gender-based institutional barriers to financial and credit markets. This is a confirmation of the local perception of mistrust of women and the reinforcement of male dominated social systems.
Women ought to be respected for their role even in social reproduction. Women contribute more to social reproduction than their male counterparts. Social reproduction includes for instance, the time and effort spent collecting water and fuel for family use, shopping, cooking, sewing, cleaning, caring for children, the elderly and the sick and the time spent sending children to school and health clinics.
Women also spend a lot of time in biological reproductive activities, besides all this unpaid labour done by women; they are not appreciated or respected for these roles by their own spouses. The Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development recently got a report of a man who beat his pregnant wife nearly on a daily basis. Such malicious behaviour is the treatment that women get throughout their married lives.
When men go to the extremities of murdering their own wives then surely something is wrong somewhere and immediate redress is called for before more lives are lost through sheer selfishness and a disrespect of other people’s rights and dignity.
Women’s roles are indispensable for the continuation of the entire society.
Couples should learn to seek counselling from close relatives and counselling institutions such as Contact Counselling Centre.
There is also need to discuss problems amicably without resorting to violence. Women should learn to open up when they find themselves in abusive relationships. It is important to seek assistance from the Victim Friendly Unit at police stations. As much as possible victims of domestic violence should take advantage of the Domestic Violence Act as it protects victims of domestic violence from abuse through the issuance of a Protection Order.
- The writer is the Provincial Development Officer for the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. She can be contacted on 09889224/0772 111 592.
Online Reporter