Grace Kwinjeh | Victims of rape in Zimbabwe have been attacked by medics soon after arriving in hospital for medicals.
Without sensitivity male doctors use their fingers to physically examine girl child rape victims, further traumatising them.
Victims suffer double trauma as Zimbabwe lacks facilities to verify on rape, to carry out a dignified examination.
Speaking during a ZimEye LIVE debate on a 14 year old girl who was recently raped in Chitungwiza, Girl Child Network leader, Muzvare Betty Makoni revealed the sad situation rape victims find themselves in…ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW…”Rape case in Zimbabwe is still examined by [bare] hands. …Rape cases [on the other hand] in countries like where I am [UK] are examined by machines, that way you are able to assess the internal damages in the child victim and make proper assessments instead of just using the human eye,” said Betty Makoni.
She continued saying, “the human eye does not give you the whole picture, it does not reveal the whole damage, so know that the way we (Zimbabwe) are still examining children is still the most backward way of doing it,” said Makoni.
Makoni continued saying, “things have moved on, people are now using machines to examine children. Computers can write everything that is being seen inside.”
Makoni was guest speaker in a LIVE debate that was analysing the case of a 14 year old girl who was recently sexually assaulted and the attacker got away with a mere $150 fine.
The facts are that the 53 year old Chitungwiza man was on Thursday convicted.
Mr (name withheld) was convicted of attacking the 14-year-old victim at his barbershop in Zengeza 2. The case was investigated by St Marys Police Chitungwiza and the conviction passed by magistrate Oliver Mudzongachisvo.
The court hearings were no easy feat. Even the conviction and the eventual fining were not easy. “The case had even been closed and it was only upon the intervention of UK solicitor Masimba Mavaza that it was brought back,” the mother tells of her ordeal.
The mother on Sunday told ZimEye.com the man is now roaming and going around the neighbourhood allegedly boasting that he is untouchable.