Gender-based violence survivors in Zim use experience to tackle scourge

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BY EVERSON MUSHAVA “I used to be violent,” Perpetual Nziramasanga said. She smiled faintly, recalling a marriage wrecked by violence. “When we began fighting, I would make sure the fight would only end when I removed his clothes,” said the 34-year-old from Karoi district’s ward 5. “I would stand like a man.” She swung a […]

BY EVERSON MUSHAVA

“I used to be violent,” Perpetual Nziramasanga said. She smiled faintly, recalling a marriage wrecked by violence.

“When we began fighting, I would make sure the fight would only end when I removed his clothes,” said the 34-year-old from Karoi district’s ward 5.

“I would stand like a man.”

She swung a clenched fist to demonstrate how she would fight her husband each time they had a domestic dispute.

The marriage collapsed in 2013 after 10 years.

“My husband used to be abusive and I decided to fight back,” Nziramasanga said.

“We used to fight a lot. I would attack everyone using everything that I came across.

“I could even smash the windows of our house during the fight. Even my husband’s brothers would not dare me.”

She said the final straw for her was when her husband’s brother raped her foster daughter and the whole family started to protect him.

“I decided to quit the marriage when I realised all my husband’s relatives did not like me anymore,” said Nziramasanga.

“The issue of the rape was covered up; they justified the rape saying my daughter was naughty.

“I had four children when I left the marriage.”

She is now trying to pick up the pieces. She is into a new marriage, and is now using her past to help other women.

Nziramasanga is one of scores of women, who have become gender champions in their communities, volunteering their time to engage in awareness programmes to highlight the dangers of gender-based violence.

Gender champions such as Nziramasanga are part of the Spotlight Initiative, a programme supported through a partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations aimed at ending violence against women and girls as well as harmful practices.

UN Women, in conjunction with its 55 local partners, most of them community-based groups, is implementing the Spotlight Initiative in five provinces — Manicaland, Mashonaland Central and West, Matabeleland South and Harare.

For Nziramasanga, the initiative has breathed new life into her.

“I am now happily married, with two more kids in my new relationship, courtesy of the Spotlight Initiative that made me aware that being violent is not a good thing,” she said.

Nziramasanga even allowed her former husband to take their children after the break-up for the sake of peace after engaging in Spotlight Initiative programmes.

“I allowed him to take them.

“He has since returned them,” she said, brimming with confidence, and vowing to make her life better.

“With my new husband, we don’t fight. I have received lessons from the Spotlight Initiative and I now respect peace.

“Yes, we used to disagree on many things related to money, but since I started some self-help projects and became financially independent, we no longer have any problems.”

Globally, gender-based violence has continued to threaten the security of millions of women and girls, violating their most basic human rights.

The World Bank estimates that one in every three women is a victim of gender-based violence globally.

Zimbabwe has not been spared the scourge.

Statistics show that nearly 50% of women have suffered either physical or sexual violence at one point in their lives, with one in three having experienced physical or sexual violence before reaching 18.

Patience Mureriwa, from Karoi, said she walked out of her marriage after being abused by her husband for many years.

“I only came to know that my husband had two other kids. When I asked him, he said he could not tell me at the time because he feared I would reject him.

“I looked after the kids, but he would beat me for failing to raise fees for his children,” Mureriwa said.

“After that, he brought me his sister who had mental challenges.

“I looked after her for six years. After that, I was given my father-in-law’s brother to take care of.

“He was sick and his wife sold his house and abandoned him. He would soil himself and I washed his clothes, but my husband remained ungrateful.”

She added: “It stressed me and I suffered a stroke. I decided to terminate the marriage. I felt embarrassed at first, but I gained confidence after joining Caritas, a Spotlight Initiative programme.

“I met others and formed a cooperative.

“We decided to embark on a project to mould window seals and air vents.

“We have realised that cases of gender-based violence reduce as we become financially independent.”

The World Bank estimates that about 3.7% of the country’s gross domestic product is lost as a result of gender-based violence.

Failure to deal with issues affecting women has been proven to contribute to growing poverty.

Without protecting equality for women and girls, according to the World Bank, poverty will not be alleviated.

As a way of ending gender-based violence, the Spotlight Initiative has also helped women embark on self-help projects so that they are financially independent.

One such initiative is Evergreen Internal Savings and Lending Scheme (Mukando) in Guruve, with 35 members of which only one is a man.

The Lower Guruve Development Association (LGDA), Civic Forum on Human Development (CFHD) and Sichig are the implementing partners of the Spotlight Initiatives in Guruve, Mbire, Muzarabani and Rushinga where they are changing lives.

“We used to quarrel a lot with my husband over money,” said Susan Dzangwe, from Chipembere village, ward 22 in Guruve.

“I decided to join Evergreen, my husband’s sister told me to embark on a self-help project to reduce gender-based violence in my marriage.

“I secured a menial job and raised US$5, which I used to join Evergreen. I borrowed money from the scheme and started my small business, selling sweets and snacks by the roadside.”

She added: “My husband was hostile during the first days saying I was embarrassing him since he is employed.

“But after a while, he realised that I was making money and he became supportive. I have now opened a shop at Ruyamuro business centre, things are now flowing.

“There is no more gender-based violence in the house.”

LGDA national coordinator,Tavirai Marega

LGDA national coordinator Tavirai Marega said the scheme has helped women become self-sustainable and thereby reduce chances of abuse in marriages.

“Most of them are now able to provide for their basics, and even send their daughters to school without having to depend on spouses for everything,” Marega said.

“They are now financially independent.

“We realised that most cases of GBV revolve around money, so financially equipping women is one way of protecting them against the scourge.

UN Women country representative Delphine Serumaga said the eradication and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices through addressing the root causes will positively impact on women and girls’ ability to have a voice, choice and control.

“At community level, we expect to see an evolving and sustained transformation where gender-based violence, in all its forms, is discouraged and not tolerated, neither hidden nor promoted,” Serumaga said.