96 percent women and girls with disabilities experience violence
Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent
AT least 96 percent of women and girls with disabilities have experienced sexual violence during the lockdown period.
This was said by Deaf Women Included (DWI) board member Ms Samantha Sibanda in Harare recently during a presentation of a documentary on violence against women with disabilities.
Ms Sibanda said there was an urgent need to sensitise women on issues to do with abuse of people with disabilities to reduce Gender Based Violence.
“Ninety-six percent of women and girls with disabilities experienced more GBV during the lockdown. They are at greater risk of violence because they are among the poorest in the Zimbabwean population.
“Most service providers are not catering for women and girls with disabilities.
“At least 36 percent of women aged 15 to 49 have experienced sexual violence while 11 percent of girls aged 15 have experienced sexual violence in the last 12 months. One out of every four girls experience sexual violence on a daily basis and the media need to come up with articles which sensitise people on GBV,” she said.
Ms Sibanda said reporting on women and girls with disabilities was very low and needed to be increased to reduce GBV cases.
She said the media also needed to dismantle toxic myths and beliefs associated with GBV and should distinguish between perpetrators and victims.
Mr Lenex Mandipaza, an information officer with the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services said: “It is our duty as media to highlight these areas so that our policy makers will come and proffer solutions to gender-based violence.
“As media, we need to come up with flexible solutions for people living with disabilities.”
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