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Gender Reporter
Economic and religious factors as well as delayed justice and stigma are among the reasons why some sexual abuse cases go unreported.
According to a Unicef 2009 study, 74 percent of abused girls knew the perpetrators from the immediate families and 37 percent live in the same house.

A number of women groups felt that law enforcement agencies did not help matters as the cases take long to conclude.

In an interview, the founder member of Tag a Life International, Nyaradzo Mashayamombe said with the stigma surrounding the issue of abuse, many people find it difficult to report family members.

She said the justice and law enforcement systems should engage the communities more, so that people learn that the two are accessible.

Talent Jumo from a women’s group, Katswe Sistawood, reiterated this saying though there are victim friendly units at many centres, some of the offices close at 5pm, making it difficult for some to report at times that are convenient to them.

She said some officials that work on the front offices of such centres are not trained to handle abuse cases.

“They do not give people confidence that their problem will be redressed. Even the court processes are long and winding, as a result people lose faith in the justice system and opt not to report cases,” she said.

Jumo said there was a need to demystify the courts and make them interface with the society, so that people see that the system was friendly.

She said there was a feeling among victims that there was a purposeful delay of justice in the hope they tire them.

As a result according to the 2009 Unicef report, of the 24 percent suspects who get arrested, only 1,2 percent were imprisoned for their crimes.

Women Action Group executive director, Edna Masiyiwa said it was sad, but true that people did not have information that concealing  abuse was wrong.

She also cited economic factors as another hindrance for women and other victims of abuse to report offenders, as they fear being sent away and condemned to poverty.

“If it’s the father of the child, the mother would sacrifice her in order to keep the breadwinner. If it’s a daughter-in-law she would keep quiet in order to save her marriage,” Masiyiwa said.

The way women were socialised to brave it up against all sorts of marital problems has also made them not raise a finger against any injustices.

“Women are told gomera uripo (qinisela) so that you do not break up your home. They also fear to bring shame to the family through reporting issues of abuse against themselves or their children,” she said.