….as Perpetrators Are Often Relatives
News Editor
Centre News Hub
Gutu East – A local traditional leader has issued a desperate plea for justice as his community reels from a disturbing rise in sexual violence.
Headman Willmot Hapanyengwi, who presides over an area under Chief Chingombe in the Gutu East constituency, says the epidemic of rape cases has reached crisis level and the perpetrators are frequently people the victims trust the most, their own relatives.
Speaking to Centre News Hub, a visibly troubled Hapanyengwi expressed shock that the scourge is tearing apart family bonds.
“Men must be organised and learn to respect the girl child. This cannot continue,” he said.
“We are seeing uncles and even grandfathers preying on young girls. It is a betrayal of the highest order.” Headman Hapanyengwi said
The headman pointed out the traumatic, long-term damage these assaults inflict on minors.
“When a child is raped by a family member, her self-confidence is shattered. Some of these girls develop suicidal tendencies because they feel there is no escape from the person who harmed them, some end up developing bad behaviour in society where they can no longer respect elderly men or men in general,” he said.
But what infuriates Hapanyengwi most is his community’s perception of a broken justice system.
“We have well-known perpetrators walking freely among us, ” he charged. “They spend only a few nights in police custody, then they are released and return to the village. The same men who assaulted our daughters are now back to roam the community. It creates a cycle of fear and helplessness.” He said
The headman urged law enforcement to conduct thorough investigations and ensure that offenders face the full weight of the law.
“We need the police to be serious. A few nights in a cell is not justice. Our girls deserve better,” he said.
His concerns have been echoed by female members of the community who now live in constant fear.
According to Headman Hapanyengwi, many mothers are terrified to leave even a 14-year-old in the care of their elderly male relatives.
“These women are saying, ‘We cannot trust our own brothers or fathers with our children.’ That is a tragedy no community should have to endure,” he added.
As calls for action grow louder, the headman has vowed to work with local authorities and other traditional leaders to root out the menace, but insists that without proper convictions and stiffer penalties, the nightmare will continue.
