The Sunday News
Fairness Moyana recently in Dete
A HWANGE magistrate has bemoaned the continued low number of reported cases of sexual crimes against children which he blamed on communities that are protecting perpetrators by covering up the abuses.
Addressing villagers in Dete during a Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education community outreach on inclusive education last week, Hwange regional magistrate, who is also the chairperson of Victim Friendly Committee, Mr Collet Ncube said it was disheartening to learn that communities were protecting child abusers by not reporting the cases.
“The courts have noted with concern the low reporting of sexual abuse cases involving children in the district and studies have shown that communities particularly relatives of victims are concealing such cases.
“There is a tendency by relatives to cover up these abuses by deciding to resolve them at family level which effectively means they won’t be reported to the police.
“We have an obligation to protect children as a community, let us report sexual abuse,” said Mr Ncube.
He said in tackling sexual crimes, the Government was using a multi-stakeholder approach, which had led to the creation of Victim Friendly Systems that are more sensitive to victims of sexual abuse.
“Zimbabwe is a signatory to the declaration of child rights and in conforming to this declaration the criminal law was amended which ushered in the Victim Friendly System.
“Government also came up with a policy document called The Protocol which is a guide to multi-sectorial management and hence we work with different stakeholders in dealing with this issue.
“So we have Victim FriendlyUnit (VFU) at the police that assist in such matters and at Hwange Court we have set conditions that help survivors tell their story without fear.”
Reports have also shown that apart from rape, there are many cases of early pregnancy, marriages and prostitution. It was also noted that relatives or family members were the major culprits who instead of reporting resorted to resolving the matter internally.
Most cases of abuse are brought to light by teachers who after noticing a change in the behaviour of the child, interviews them leading to revelations.
The outreach covered Dete and Jambezi areas with a thrust to sensitise communities on services offered by various Government departments, stakeholders and service providers.
Officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education appealed to communities to ensure that all children especially those living with disabilities were brought to school.
