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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
BULAWAYO has the largest number of women who beat up their spouses, with congregants from Pentecostal churches leading the number of perpetrators countrywide, a just-released Government study shows.

Given the findings, the city seems to be living up to its moniker — komfazi otshayindoda (where women beat men).

According to the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (2015) about four percent of women countrywide admitted to instigating physical spousal violence.

The survey shows that women in Bulawayo are leading the pack with seven percent followed by Harare with five percent and Midlands with 4,5 percent. It also highlights that the brutalisation of men cuts across denominations with women from Pentecostal churches leading.

About 4,5 percent of Pentecostal congregants bash their spouses followed by those from Protestant churches and Apostolic sects with four and three percent respectively.

The survey also shows that there is a higher percentage of women who instigate violence against their husbands in urban set-ups compared to rural areas.

Women’s violence against men is higher in the age groups 30 to 39 and 40 to 49.

“In the 2015 ZDHS, ever-married women were asked about instances when they were the instigator of spousal violence. Four percent of ever-married women report that they have instigated physical violence against their current or most recent husband and two percent report that they have done so in the past year,” reads the report.

Padare Men’s Forum Matabeleland programmes officer Mr Ziphongezipho Ndebele said the trend has always been there but men are shy to report.

“This has always been happening but men are afraid of reporting. During our research men revealed that when they got to police stations, the cops laugh their lungs out or tease them, hence they don’t report. We have tried to talk to the police but they refuted it. Generally men are afraid ngoba abantu bazabona angani awusondoda (people will think you’re not a real man),” said Mr Ndebele.

He encouraged men and women to desist from acts of violence.

Turning to the latest ZDHS report, Mr Ndebele said it was his first time to hear of such findings adding he was yet to see it to make an informed comment.

“It is my first time to hear of such but what I know is that there are a few reported cases. I assume since they were going door to door, probably men opened up,” he said.

Other key findings of the study are that women aged between 15 and 49 experienced physical violence since age 15 while 15 percent of women have experienced physical violence within the past 12 months.

“For sexual violence 14 percent of women aged 15-49 experienced sexual violence at least once in their lifetime and eight percent experienced sexual violence in the past 12 months.

“Thirty-two percent of ever-married women have experienced spousal emotional violence; 24 percent experienced spousal emotional violence in the 12 months preceding the survey,” reads the report.

Six percent of women who have ever been pregnant experienced violence during one or more of their pregnancies.

“Overall, 35 percent of ever-married women aged 15-49 experienced physical or sexual violence from a spouse and of these women, 37 percent reported experiencing physical injuries,” reads the findings.

The survey shows that a majority of physical abuse or sexual violence victims suffer in silence as only 39 percent have sought help.

The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency says the 2015 ZDHS was conducted nationally with a representative sample of over 11 000 households.

It was a follow up to the 1988, 1994, 1999, 2005 to 2006 and 2010 to 2011 surveys.

Topics covered in the Key Indicators Report include fertility and family planning methods, infant and child mortality, maternal health, child health, HIV issues, domestic violence and maternal mortality.

@AuxiliaK