IN an age where childhood should be synonymous with innocence and joy, a disturbing pattern of abuse has emerged, where young children are subjected to barbaric behaviour by the very people meant to care for them parents and caregivers.
NewsDay Weekender has uncovered a string of disturbing cases in which children as young as infants are subjected to horrific violence, sexual abuse, neglect and emotional torment at the hands of the very people who are supposed to nurture and safeguard them.
These children often suffer in silence, their plight hidden behind the façade of ordinary family life.
Statistics have indicated a rise in child abuse, with nearly 20 000 cases recorded countrywide in the past year.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said it was battling an increase in the number of rape cases involving children.
Statistics obtained from the NPAZ indicate that at least 30 rape cases are reported countrywide daily, most of them involving children.
Prosecutor-General Justice Loyce Matanda-Moyo told NewsDay Weekender that the number of fathers raping their own daughters was very high mainly due to rituals.
“We are currently using the laws that protect the children to bring the perpetrators to book. We call on those organisations that deal with children to raise awareness campaigns within the community, families so that these children are protected,” Matanda-Moyo said.
- Mwonzora in court for threatening to shoot ex-employee
- Plumtree prosecutor in nudes storm
- Moreblessing Ali’s killer jailed 30 years
- Zim slides further on the corruption index
Keep Reading
“Like those children who are being abused in a home set-up, that’s very sad. Those are the very people who are supposed to protect their children who are abusing them.
“The number of fathers raping their own daughters is very high and this is as a result of rituals. People want to get rich quickly, so they are told to go sleep with their daughters for money rituals.”
She said her office has received more cases of children being sexually abused.
“On a daily basis, we receive more than 30 cases coming in everyday and it’s really sad,” she said.
One of the victims, who spoke to this publication, said she was sexually abused by her uncle for ritual purposes.
The 12-year-old girl (name withheld), who stays in Beitbridge, said her mother would connive with her uncle to commit the crime.
“My uncle connived with my mother to rape me. My mother said my uncle is going to have sexual intercourse with me once, but he kept on coming. She would promise to give me money after the process and she told me not to tell anyone.
“My father died when I was five, I am a half orphan. I am the only child in the family,” she narrated.
The uncle and the mother have since been arrested.
Another devastating incident is of a Mvuma man who fatally struck his one-year-old daughter once on the head with a blunt object after sexually abusing her.
It is reported that the now-deceased’s mother left the infant in the custody of her father, Trust Khaki, and went to collect the family’s share of social welfare food.
“When the now-deceased’s mother returned she found Khaki holding the deceased and she was struggling to breathe, had a deformed forehead, bruises on the chin, swollen left side and a scratch on the back,” according to a statement by NPAZ.
The consequences of these barbaric acts of abuse reach far beyond physical harm.
Survivors often carry deep emotional scars into adulthood, struggling with trust, self-worth and trauma.
A child psychologist, who preferred anonymity, told this publication that children who survive abuse endure a long emotional burden.
“The trauma inflicted by a parent or caregiver — someone who is supposed to be a source of love and security — has profound, long-lasting effects on a child’s emotional development,” she said.
“It disrupts their ability to form healthy attachments and often leads to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.”
According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat), 3 562 cases of sexual violence were recorded within the first quarter of this year, with most of the perpetrators being close to the victims.
Child rights lawyer and one of the founders of Justice for Children Trust, Caleb Mutandwa, said there is a need for multiple approaches to curb child abuse.
“Multiple interventions are needed. On July 9 last year, the Children’s Act was amended to include provisions that promote the creation of a conducive family environment for children and place a duty to report child abuse on professionals working with or interacting children such as medical practitioners, teachers, legal practitioners or ministers of religion,” Mutandwa said.
“Enforcement should not only mean prosecution, but helping parents to deal with issues through counselling. Other abuses meted on children are a result of frustration being experienced due to the harsh economic situation prevailing in the country, hence addressing this will also help in reducing cases of child abuse.
“There will be cases which need offenders to be jailed and for long periods. That should be done to deter others.”
Child protection advocate and convener of Help Her Heal, Chinga Govhati, said the abuse is not only physical or emotional, but also includes practices like marrying off children.
“Parents who abuse their children do not realise the harm they cause to their children. They also destroy current and future relations with their children,” Govhati said.
“Most parents forget that they will get old and their children will grow up, hence they will need the children more than the children need them at some point.
“The same goes for parents who neglect their children. If only they would stop to envision the future.”
Experts told this publication that behind closed doors, in homes where love and safety should thrive, young children are subjected to unspeakable abuse by people who are meant to care for them.
“Children are being betrayed by the people they love the most. Many of these children grow up feeling unsafe. These children are more likely to struggle with mental health issues, substance abuse and even perpetuate cycles of violence in their own families,” Shamwari yeMwanasikana director Ekenia Chifamba said.
Child rights expert and human rights lawyer Opal Sibanda said public awareness campaigns are crucial in educating communities on the signs of child abuse and neglect.
Government has taken steps to address child abuse, including implementing child protection policies and aligning with international conventions such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Recently, President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law the Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Children and Young Persons) Bill, raising the age of consent from 16 to 18 and protecting young people from sexual predators and early child marriages.
Childline Zimbabwe said it received 20 000 distress calls from minors through the Childline call centre with its national director Precious Taru said 15% of these cases involved sexual abuse and early child marriages, with numbers continuously increasing every year.
In 2022, ZimStat said 22 children were murdered by their parents and guardians, sending alarm bells of a surge in abuse of minors.
