Tafadzwa Mwanengureni
In May 2022, Rutendorwashe Mugure (16) of Chikerema Village in Gutu lost her life while trying to stop her parents from fighting.
The minor was killed by her father Perai Mugure for pleading him to stop him from assaulting her mother Fungai Munzwa.
Reports are that Mugure came home drunk. When his wife served him food, he refused to eat resulting in a misunderstanding that led to a fight. He locked the door from inside and started beating his wife and later bit her cheek.
Munzwa screamed for help.
Upon hearing the noise from her parents’ bedroom, the late Mugure, pleaded with her father to stop the assault. He was however offended and came out of the bedroom, locked his wife inside, before attacking his daughter with a log and strop until she died.
By the time Munzwa managed to unlock the door, it was too late. Her lifeless body was lying in a pool of blood.
The case was reported to Chatsworth Police station, but the accused fled. He is yet to be found.
Munzwa is yet to heal from the loss of her daughter.
Gender based violence is a plight of many married women in Zimbabwe. Many women are suffering in silence. GBV can be classified into three categories namely Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), sexual abuse and child marriage.
Zimbabwe, just like many African societies recognises several traditional values which include the patriarchal system. Culture and social norms are the main factors that contribute to the rise of intimate partner violence.
IPV is generally perceived as a system to discipline a woman and keep her in track especially for those that are married.
However, this has led to many deaths. Some women have committed suicide after failing to find someone to confide in.
According to UNFPA, “In Zimbabwe, about 1 in 3 women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence and about 1 in 4 women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15”.
Some women are now living with lifetime scars which they obtained through physical assaults
ZBC TV presenter for Proudly Able, Ratidzo Muchairi is now living with visual impairment after she suffered severe migraine headaches as a result of physical abuse in her marriage.
Just because she was formally married and wedded, she endured the agony of an unhappy marriage, until the husband dumped her.
“I suffered silently, yet the relationship had some sorts of physical abuse and it’s something that l could not say to the people since it was a situation whereby l was formally married and l was even shy to share my marital problems,” she said.
“I was in an abusive relationship but because of our culture zvinonzi mukadzi haafugure hapwa (a woman should not disclose her marital problems). It went on for about 10 to 12 years, until the headache started.
“Because our relationship was now bitter, he wouldn’t understand when l explained to him that l was having some headaches.
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I tried my best to seek medication and counselling because l did not want anyone to know what was happening.
Many women present a perfect picture of their relationship yet they are traumatized.
The majority hang on for the sake of their children and maintaining societal norms.
For those who face assaults and survive, some perceive ending their lives as a solution to overcome their predicament.
Director for Fathers Against Abuse (FAA), Alouis Nyamazana concurred with the notion that societal norms are contributing a lot in GBV.
“The way the girl child is raised is to believe that they are supposed to endure abuse especially in the context of marriage,” Nyamazana said.
“They are taught that its normal for them to be abused, so when it happens, they don’t even have the courage to then go out of those abusive relationships because society will label them as failures. If they leave, they are then blamed for contributing to the demise of their marriage.”
He also mentioned economic dependency as another factor which contributes women to endure abuse when the husband is the breadwinner and the main provider.
Therefore, whenever she is abused, she rather remain quiet because reporting to the police can prompt a long jail term for the breadwinner, exposing the family to poverty since they have no other source of income.
In many families, if someone has a high social standing, the crimes they commit, including abuse are often covered up.
“With issues around poverty at family level, you will notice that the girl child is at a disadvantage as families may connive and come together to just say that because this crime has been committed by a close relative, let’s not report the case and that’s how women end up remaining silent.
“It’s considered a taboo for a woman to report her husband to the police which makes many endure abuses”, said Nyamazana.
In Waterfalls, Privilege Mudzamiri (25), is living with bitterness towards her husband who impregnated her 14-year-old sister.
What pains most is the victim did not report sexual harassment and when it came to light that her sister’s husband was responsible for the pregnancy, her family decided to keep it as a secret as it could have resulted in imprisonment.
“When l asked her why she didn’t tell me what was happening she said nothing, and up until now l don’t understand if she was forced or they were in agreement,” she said.
“Until now I don’t know how it happened, since we used to share the same room with my sister whenever she came for holidays.
“I was asked to forgive my husband and advised to remain silent and not to report him since they are the ones who will take care of my young sister back in Chivu our rural areas”, said Mudzamiri.
Her family believes she has a responsible husband who sometimes sends grocery and cash to the in-laws.
Mudzamiri’s parents are taking care of her young sister and the baby.
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What upsets Mudzamiri most is that whenever there is a need for the upkeep of the baby the parents call her to send money.
Team leader for Girls and Women Empowerment (GWEN) Kumbirai Kahiya encouraged victims of GBV as well as those who are close not to remain silent in cases of abuse.
“Risks come in incidents where justice is not served on behalf of the survivor and l always encourage people to make police reports when they are violated,” Kahiya said.
“If the perpetrator is allowed to roam free or is not brought to book, they can come back and violate the victim again.”
However, she noted with concern some of the problems that prevent victims from reporting.
“There is a challenge of costs incurred when making such reports whereby the survivor has to travel to the police station, courts and also medication. This make it difficult for them to continue follow up their cases.”
GBV in Zimbabwe requires an urgent attention as women report facing it in all circles of life including in workplaces, churches and societies at large.
Katswe Sistahood a female led gender movement is working with traditional and religious leaders to promote a positive change against GBV in societies.
Katswe Sistahood Senior Programs Officer Otilia Chinyani told She Corresponds Africa that the country needs to invest in long-term prevention strategies so as to ensure safety of victims.
“To make it easier and safer for victims there is a need to address the root causes of GBV by promoting gender equality, challenging harmful gender norms, and addressing social and economic inequalities,” she said.
“Establish accessible support services for survivors including temporary shelters, psychosocial support, medical assistance and legal aid. These services should be sensitive to the unique needs of survivors and provided free of charge or at an affordable cost.”
Zimbabwe has witnessed women led movements stand firmly against initial court judgements that were given against Benhilda Dandajena and Tariro Matutsa in 2016 and 2021 respectively after they, in self defence, killed men who wanted to rape them.
However, GBV issues have witnessed men also fall victims, but sharing such problems with others has posed to be a challenge due to some societal norms which perceive them as the heads of the family.
The intervention of male led organisations such as FAA and Chisungo Trust to engage men and collaborate with women movements to address GBV is playing a crucial role in promoting mental health as well as raising awareness in the country
Patrick Masvaba, Director for Chisungo Trust, through awareness campaigns, men they have witnessed men coming on board to support as well as sharing their problems
“We do encourage people to seek counselling when they are having issues than to end up fighting or emotional abusing each other”
“We have women who are victims to GBV and IPV in relationships and marriages so as men who are also being victimised in relationships and marriages even though in most cases, they are not reported because of the community norms”, said Masvaba.
FAA trains men to be gender champions.
“We train what we call gender champions and these are men and boys whom we train on all aspects of GBV, how it happens, its causes and their role preventing it. After the training we deploy those men in communities for them to be advocacy agencies of positive social change. They also help people to report GBV,” said Nyamazana.
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