The matter came to light when the family’s domestic worker
questioned the 11-year-old girl about her delayed menstrual period and that is
when she revealed that she was raped sometime last month.
According to the girl, the rapist threatened to come back
and stab her if she revealed the matter to anyone.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube
confirmed the incident yesterday and urged members of the public to go an extra
mile in protecting girls.
He said the increasing cases of sexual abuse of women and
girls in the city was worrying and called on members of the public to work with
the police to address the problem.
“We are investigating a case of a juvenile aged 11 years
from Mzilikazi suburb who was raped by an unknown male adult at her home. The
accused person gained entry into an unlocked house while the complainant was outside
washing dishes,” said Insp Ncube.
He said when the complainant went back into the house, she
found the accused person inside the house and he grabbed her before raping her
once without protection.
“After raping her, the accused person threatened to stab
the complainant with a knife if she dared report the incident to anyone. The
complainant did not disclose the incident to her father as she feared that the
accused person would come back and stab her,” said Insp Ncube.
He said the incident was revealed when the girl fell
pregnant and narrated to the family domestic worker what had transpired on the
fateful day.
Insp Ncube said the rape was reported at ZRP Barbourfields
Post and the girl was referred to Mpilo Central Hospital for medical
examination.
Meanwhile, health experts say early sexual engagement
increases the risk of girls suffering cervical cancer which is the leading
cancer in Zimbabwe and one of the killer diseases among women.
Reports also show that when a girl falls pregnant, they
drop out of school and eventually give up on their studies.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),
early sexual debut and sexual abuse of female adolescents increase the girls’
risk to unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections including HIV
and psycho-social challenges in their lives.
UNFPA Zimbabwe’s adolescent sexual reproductive health
specialist Mr Blessing Tafadzwa Nyagumbo said Zimbabwe is among countries in
sub-Saharan Africa with a huge teenage pregnancy problem.
“The country has a high adolescent fertility rate of 108
per 1 000 among young women aged 15 to 19 years.
This is against the average fertility rate of 101 births
per 1 000 young women aged between 15 and 19 in sub-Saharan Africa. Emerging
data indicates that there has been a significant increase in teenage pregnancy
during the lockdown,” he said. Chronicle
0 comments:
Post a Comment