Hwange: A hotbed of GBV

Rudo Nyamhunga, Hwange FM

Gender based violence (GBV) is a phenomenon very prevalent in African Culture. Its roots are deeply entrenched in patriarchy, which predominantly favours and suits the man more than the woman. In its quest to assert dominance and preserve male supremacy, gender based violence is a physical tool that has been used to oppress and suppress women from expressing themselves. Hwange town is no exception from this physical manifestation of injustices and abuse.

According to the Council of Europe, gender based violence against women “is violence directed against a woman because she is a woman.”

 Gender based violence includes physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence against women.  Patriarchy and culture are some of the bedrocks of gender based violence. Social economic factors such as unemployment, infidelity and dependency may result in gender based violence especially when the woman does not have her own financial muscle to back herself.

Hwange is a peculiar district in Zimbabwe in that it is a melting pot of various tribes and nationalities who are pulled in by the mining and power producing industries. The abuse of women by men is uniform. Most off the jobs do require a lot of physical labour, however there should be gender equality in the job selection process especially for those jobs that require cerebral strength. In order to get employment women must jump a lot of informal hoops usually with strings attached with men demanding sexual favours for employment or promotion. Women who work in these male dominated industries are often victims of verbal sexual abuse and advances from their male colleagues.

Gender based violence manifests itself in any environment that women and girls are. Schools, workplace, home and even on the streets. If a woman dresses in a certain way, whistles and insults are hurled at her to embarrass her or worse could be done to dissuade her from dressing that way. This is quite common at Hwange markets and bus termini.

On social platforms, poor representation of women exacerbates verbal and cyber bullying of women. Patriarchal young opinion leaders such as Tawona Shadaya popularly known as Shadaya regurgitate patriarchal ideology that then finds its base with the male youth of Zimbabwe.

 The Disability Agenda Forum based in Matabeleland North in particular Hwange and Binga found out that disabled women are at a heightened risk of abuse from men because they are incapable of physically defending themselves from abusers.  

Culturally, Virgins are considered pure therefore HIV positive males are sometimes deceived into believing that sexual intercourse with a virgin leads to its cure. Most of the abusers are family members and the abuse is often not reported usually to maintain family financial stability if the perpetrator is the breadwinner.

Financial instability pushes women and girls into the arms of mime workers or truck drivers which causes rampant prostitution. Some women and girls go for Chinese or European nationals under the belief that fairer skinned people are more economically stable. Unfortunately this increases the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. Some of the underage girls drop out of school to fend for their families.

Socio economic factors such as an  inadequate salary, poor management of finances, infidelity and paternity disputes in relationships particularly marriage have also led to gender based violence in Hwange, however abuse will remain unreported as long as the needs of the survivors and their families are met by the perpetrators. One seldom bites the hand that feeds them. Gender based violence may very well affect men however most women bear the brunt of gender based violence bit they do not report largely due to financial and cultural reasons.

Religion may also lead to women staying in abusive marriages since they do not want to be deemed failures who failed to keep a home. This pushes women to hold onto unhealthy and potentially harmful relationships that could lead to depression and other mental illnesses and potentially, suicide.

According to an article by NewZiana dated 7 December 2022, a 74% increase in gender based violence was recorded and in the last year 346 cases were reported of young girls sexually violated by people close to them who stay in the same community as them. Most of the violence reported is sexual and physical yet the emotional and verbal abuse is left hidden.

The effects of gender-based violence tend to lead to trauma, fear, health issues, and loss of economic independence whilst promoting a culture where women are scared to speak up and report the injustices happening to them.

A lot more work needs to be done to ensure adequate support for gender based violence survivors. Building of safe houses and have counselling centres are crucial to the fight in order to offer support to the survivors. Sometimes the police lack the resources to legally help the survivors whilst some police officers are given bribes and the abuse is swept under the rug.

To combat gender based, we should continue raising awareness through events such as the 16 days of activism against gender based violence.

Enforcement of laws should be strict and the consequences of gender-based violence should be severe enough to deter would-be-offenders. Hwange needs support services for victims of GBV.

Men ought to be conscientised to view women not as a commodity but as human beings. It is vital for boys and men to be taught how to deal with their emotions and be advised to control their physical strength and exercise restrain.

In conclusion, there are many factors that allow the continuation of gender based violence in Hwange. A lot of work needs to be done to encourage change of attitudes and perceptions to defeat the fight of inequality and abuse that presents itself as gender based violence.