THERE has been an increase in the number of men coming forward to report Gender Based Violence (GBV) in particular emotional abuse at the hands of women.
By Michael Gwarisa recently in Mashonaland West
Recent data from the 2021 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVac) Rural Livelihoods Report show the national incidence for spousal emotional abuse was 6.01% in males and 5.76% in females.
Speaking to HealthTimes, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Makonde Development District Development Officer, Mrs Fungai Sadzi said they receive reports from men being abused every month.
Men come to the Ministry of Women affairs as well to report that they are being abused especially those aged 55 and above, we get at least one report every month. Most of these men have younger wives.
“Because the younger wives are still active and they are still moving with trending fashion and new developments, they feel that at times the elderly husbands are not providing enough, they abuse them or at times evict them from their homes. The problem is some of these men would have deserted their homes a long time ago and its now difficult for them to return home so end they up being subjected to a slavery kind of set up,” said Mrs Sadzi.
She added that generational gap was the biggest contributor to spousal emotional abuse as cases were also being reported in young men married to older women. The Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT) is implementing the Safe Shelters initiative that is being funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Mashonaland West province and districts across the country to accommodate survivors of abuse.
Tapiwa Magwere, the District Pogramme Officer for the Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT) said even though the Shelters are only meant to house female survivors of abuse, they also attend to men who come seeking services.
“We do attend to men who come seeking services. Its just that for the men, we don’t admit so they just walk in and at times end up at the police base and the Matron goes to provide counseling to them. At times they phone in and indicate their challenges.
“For men, its mainly emotional abuse even though last year we had one case where a men reported sexual abuse. Abuse against men is there, its just that we just need to do more awareness raising to ensure they open up with regards issues of abuse,” said Magwere.
According to recent data from the ZimVac report, Manicaland Province recorded the highest cases of male emotional abuse with 8.76% in males and 9.35% in females followed by Mashonaland Central which had 8.44% in males and 6.64% females. Mashonaland West 6.37% in men and 9.32% in females.
