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Chronicle yesterday carried an article where villagers at West Acre and Tsetse Primary School officials are at loggerheads over the school’s decision to conduct virginity tests on female Grade Seven pupils.
We learn that the move was prompted by reports of rampant sexual abuse in the community that saw the school approaching child rights bodies to assist in identifying abusers through checking the children for signs of sexual abuse.

On the face of it, the tests appear innocent save for the way in which they were conducted by the health personnel.  According to some of the parents, the children were examined in front of other children, both girls and boys, in class. 
If this is true, then something must have gone terribly wrong. There is no way that the school can be allowed to strip the children’s dignity and destroy their self-esteem

by undressing them before their classmates.  We hear many are now objects of ridicule and no longer feel comfortable going to school as boys were laughing at them.
Criminals should never be protected by anyone and we support any legal and moral measures to sniff out child abusers but we also feel the school, children’s rights

bodies and the parents should not try to expose a wrong through committing yet another wrong. This would tend to discredit the whole campaign against

child abuse as an invasion     of the privacy and exercise to embarrass the children hence playing into the hands of the abusers who would not want the children to know their rights lest they expose their devious ways.
The school development committee chairperson, Mr Mandson Tshuma, defended the exercise saying those against the tests sought to conceal abuse.

“The check-up was meant to expose the culprits and bring them to book. This is a good exercise and more should be done in order to curb abuses at homes. The school has not done anything wrong.
“. . . a lot of child abuse cases have been recorded in our community but they have not been reported because the children are afraid.  As a result the school invited a professional health practitioner from Nyamandlovu and officials from the Child Protection Committee, which works with Childline,” said Mr Tshuma.

While we also have reservations in the manner in which the exercise was conducted, we urge authorities that are going to look into the matter not to let poor procedure cloud the real issues, that are fears of rampant abuse of children in the farming area.

Developments at West Acre should be a reminder to all parents to improve communication lines with their children and raise their awareness of abuse, even at the hands of close relatives. Schools play a parental role when the children are at school but in this case the failure by the family institution has forced the school authorities to take up full control in a bid to find out what was affecting the children’s learning.

The police, education officials and children’s rights organisations together with the parents should find an amicable way of resolving the West Acre issue but the protection of the girl child should be uppermost in those efforts with those found on the wrong side of the law facing the music.