Home Should Be A Safe Place
Lockdown does not equal isolation for survivors of gender-based violence in Zimbabwe
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, isolating at home is meant to keep people safe and curb the infection rate. However, home can be dangerous for women and children who are at risk of gender-based violence.
In Zimbabwe, where the government imposed a nationwide lockdown earlier this year to curb the spread of COVID-19, home has not been so sweet for 27-year-old Kudzai (not her real name), who is eight months’ pregnant and has one child with her husband, Garikai (not his real name).
Kudzai stopped working due to pregnancy complications and became dependent on her husband.
“I would ask him to buy food because he was the one who earned the money,” she said. “He would tell me that when he did not buy food, that meant he did not have money, and sometimes he would beat me and say that I had no right to ask him to buy food.”
Husbands and partners denying resources to their family has become prevalent in Zimbabwe due to the economic crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation.
“Because of the power imbalances that exist between women and men, women are more vulnerable to violence in all spheres of their lives,” said Vimbai Mutendeki, Programme Manager at Musasa, a USAID partner that works to prevent violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe.
Gender norms often dictate how men and women interact in a relationship. “There is a culture of silence with women in Zimbabwe, because women want to preserve the family,” said Vimbai. “If a woman reports the abuse, then she could bring shame on her family.”
COVID-19 compounds the crises in Zimbabwe
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Zimbabwe was already suffering from its worst economic and hunger crises in a decade, caused by a combination of climate-induced drought, economic instability, and food shortages. The World Food Programme estimates that 7.7 million people, over half of Zimbabwe’s population, need food assistance in 2020.
The lockdown has disrupted people’s ability to earn a living and access affordable food and goods. Businesses are permitted to operate, but most Zimbabweans survive by working in the informal sector. To discourage informal trading during the pandemic, some municipalities tore down kiosks and makeshift structures.
Since the lockdown began on March 30, USAID partners have seen violence against women and girls increase. In April, Musasa received more than 2,100 calls to its toll-free number, more than double from the same time last year.
Food insecurity is one of the reasons reported for increased gender-based violence during the lockdown.
“The societal expectations are for men to be the provider, but when they feel like they are failing, then they can become abusers.”
— Roselyn Were, Chief of Party for Catholic Relief Services Pathways Project, USAID’s partner.
Under lockdown does not mean being alone
During the lockdown, Kudzai’s situation became worse when she confronted Garikai about an affair he was having with another woman. “He beat me and said he wanted to kill me, but after our fight, he left my child and me, and he did not come back. My neighbor noticed my injuries and how sad I was and directed me to Musasa so I could get help.”
Throughout the pandemic, USAID partners have scaled up services for survivors of gender-based violence, and they continue to educate the community on the radio, in local newspapers, and with flyers.
USAID partners offer medical treatment, psychological counseling, legal advice, and relocation to safe places for gender-based violence survivors through their toll-free help line, text messaging, and social media platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook.
Because of COVID-19, Musasa’s shelters can’t admit new clients, but they offered Kudzai counselling.
“They asked me what I wanted to do,” said Kudzai, “and I told them that I wanted to go to my parents’ home in the rural area since I had nowhere else to go, and I was unable to work because of my pregnancy and the lockdown. I was worried traveling would be difficult because of the lockdown, and because I could not afford the bus fare to my parents’ home.”
Musasa helped Kudzai get the required travel permit from the police and arranged transportation to her parents’ home.
Empowering women and giving hope during a pandemic
“Now, I do not think that I will be able to get back with my husband,” Kudzai said. “I see that my child is unhappy living at home with my husband because of the violence. When my baby is born, I plan to stay at her parent’s home for six months. Then I will go and look for a job so that I can take care of my children.”
In 2019, USAID partners provided gender-based violence care services to more than 16,000 Zimbabweans, including clinical post violence care, psychosocial support, trauma counseling, legal assistance, and shelter.
USAID works to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in more than 40 countries in every region where we work. Since 2012, USAID has reached more than 5 million survivors of gender-based violence with potentially life-saving services.
About the Author
Jennifer Curle is the Development Outreach and Communications Specialist for USAID’s Mission in Zimbabwe.
