Suburban
Jeremiah Mudonha
It is sad that cases of sexual violence against women and the girl child have seemingly secured a relatively permanent place in our Zimbabwean news media and the world at large.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), sexual violence is “any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, or other act directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim in any setting.”
It includes rape, which is defined as non-consensual sexual intercourse on women.
Children below 16 are deemed to be incapable of consenting to sex.
Indeed, it is pitiful to observe how, through the orgy of sexual violence unleashed by men, females of all ages are being stripped of their human dignity and other fundamental freedoms to become sex slaves and objects of abuse.
Baffling is how these sexual violence cases are occurring.
Imagine young teenage boys raping women who are over 40 years of age, biological fathers raping their newly born babies and teachers shamelessly raping students, among other countless loathsome, unexplainable scenarios.
Think of how two Gwanda siblings aged 21 and 19 took turns to rape their 10-year-old cousin. Weird, isn’t it?
In May this year, a Gutu man was jailed 18 years for raping his five-year-old daughter.
Given this, I suppose that mothers should avoid leaving their daughters in the care of men no matter the existing relationship.
Perhaps most shocking case is of a Beitbridge boy aged 16 who allegedly attacked and raped his 53-year-old aunt as she lay dying and bleeding from the head, the list goes on.
Most sexual violence cases go unreported as victims are ashamed or afraid of sharing their ordeals with anyone.
Notwithstanding cases where parties are somehow related, there are also many involving victims being raped by total strangers.
Plenty are also cases of sexual violence perpetrated by people in positions of trust and authority in society like pastors and law enforcement agents.
Who then should be trusted if even pastors and custodians of the law are no exception to sexual violence?
Surely, noone is worth total trust except God.
For the sake of safety in this context, every man should be treated as a potential rapist and every female a potential victim.
In fact, WHO estimates indicate that globally about one in three (30 percent) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
So keep watch!
We however can’t find readily satisfactory answers to what has really gotten into men of today.
Is it because of the widespread immoral social media content, rituals etc?
Whatever the case, may it be known and very well that there is no reason enough to justify any form of sexual violence, worse still on children whom we bank on as future leaders.
We are yet to heal from fresh wounds of mourning over Anna Machaya, a 14-year-old girl and victim of statutory rape who died recently while giving birth at a Johane Marange Apostolic shrine in Bocha, Mutare.
This is but one of many cases in which men marry young girls in some churches. Gd forbid!
Rape has devastating effects to the females concerned and the community at large.
The raped can contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Sexual violence traumatises the victim to the point of contemplating committing suicide.
How to tell the story and to whom is often heart-rending and unfathomable?
It however takes courage for one to break the silence and tell. Deaths, injuries, unwanted pregnancies, family breakups, marriage blisters and such other predicaments cannot be ruled out in cases of sexual violence or attempted incidents.
My dear female reader, take heart for there is hope for you, hence my scribing this article.
First and foremost, it is important to know that it is never your fault to be raped hence you should boldly speak out.
It is said that a problem shared is half-solved.
Choose not to remain silent and decisively refuse to be silenced unto death.
Report the crime(s) as early as possible and seek medical attention within 72 hours to get treated against any sexually transmitted infections and other potential health hazards emanating from the abuse.
Again, there is nothing as relieving as seeing the culprit who abused you behind bars.
Be careful on relationships and companionships.
A good number of cases of sexual violence cases come from people who have some varying degrees of relationships with the victims albeit friends, relatives, workmates, neighbours and other acquaintances.
Inasmuch as trust is sometimes inevitable, you ought to be aware of the indelible possibility of them preying on you.
The unexpected always happens and trust but not too much, it is rightly said.
Borrowing from the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s programme — Dzidziso yaAmai Munhanga/Mugota/ Ixiba, it is pertinent for growing up girls to be guided into decent paths of life and made to consciously keep a healthy distance from people of the opposite sex.
Any unusual gestures and utterances of a sexual nature by any man should be identified, resisted and reported as early as possible.
That is not only a requisite in the cultural fabric of our African societies but an ideal way to prevent you from being sexually exploited by males.
Always keep your attitude and behavior towards men in check. Some dressing and or loose talk to or with men attracts trouble as some men may mistakenly take that as sexually suggestive gestures.
Places and Movements:
Be careful with where you find yourself in.
Ask yourself how safe the place is.
It is time that we should avoid passing through dark, secluded places alone.
Again, never be in a place or motor vehicle where you are alone with men albeit at home, work or elsewhere.
There are also high risk places like pubs and wild parties.
You cannot honestly expect to be safe from rape if you go out to nude and sex parties.
Please do watch your movements.
Alertness and sobriety:
Remain in control of yourself by maintaining your normal levels of sobriety.
Avoid taking drinks or foodstuffs that you are not sure of and worse still offered to you by strangers or men of questionable characters.
You can be drugged and sexually violated!
In conclusion, try as much as you can to prevent falling victim to rape and other sexual violence cases through following the above and many other tips that you can ever get.
However, it is common cause that some incidents are unpreventable and quite unprecedented to the would-be victims.
I implore all relevant stakeholders to help out in that respect but whatever happens to you in the context of sexual violence, howsoever it takes place and whomsoever is involved, know that it is never your fault to be raped.
No man has a right whatsoever to force any woman or girl into sexual intercourse without her express consent.
After all is said and done, Edmund Burke says, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
I therefore challenge every right thinking men and women of our time to stand up and out in renouncing sexual violence.
The message has to be clear that sexual violence is a crime and whoever does it has to meet the full wrath of the law.
Accord to every woman and girl child their deserving universal human rights.
Their rights and lives matter.
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Twitter @JeremiahMudonha
