Stop using women as a battlefield – Mugabe told

Dr Charity Manyeruke of the University of Zimbabwe said in South Africa recently that thousands of women had suffered violence in silence. She largely blamed Mugabes deployment of the countrys security forces and paramilitary groups on a campaign of retribution against Zimbabwean voters, who have ditched the 86 year-old President for the mainstream MDC, led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Manyeruke said recent research had revealed that more than 20 000 women have been violated both physically and mentally in Zimbabwe since 2000, especially by members of the police and the army. The situation still continues to be bad for women in Zimbabwe and many of them have been abducted, raped, maimed, killed and displaced during political violence in Zimbabwe and this has not stopped, she said.

The effect of that violence has been to send fear to women and stop them from speaking out on their countrys political climate. Most of those who have been abused have kept quiet for fear that there will be future reprisals. They cannot go to the police because they are either their abusers or are protecting the known abusers, hence the women remain traumatised.

She called on politicians to allow women to participate freely in shaping the destiny of the country, which has over the past 30 years fallen from being one of Africas erstwhile growing economies to be one of the worlds sorry states.

Men should stop this animal-like behaviour of abusing women their mothers, sisters and daughters because it destroys a future generation. Women must be given their space to contribute to a better Zimbabwe. Political violence has destroyed families in Zimbabwe and that is why most Zimbabwean women have fled into South Africa, leaving their homes collapsing.

She added that she feared there would be more violence against women if the much talked about elections are held next year.