GIRL CHILD NETWORK
Gravity of Girl Child Sexual Abuse in Zimbabwe
` “Towards Creating A Culture of Prevention”
Rape survivors Support Group Chitungwiza August 2004
`The stories we listened to made us bleed inside, the genital wounds we later had to help nurse evoked us , the long distances we traveled every day and night to educate girls on their rights made us strong , the songs of joy and sorrow the girls sang made us more passionate, everything to do with girlhood and the fact that we were there for the girls pushed us to do even more and more from the heart ,soul, mind and all. The fact that we finally claimed the girls` spaces where the girls now live and develop free of violence makes it imperative that we share the great tidings`
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Introduction on the Girl Child Network and History on Activism
Girl Child Network( GCN) an activist development organization whose mission is to support the empowerment of the girl child has tracked and tackled over 20 000 cases of child sexual abuse over the past 8 years in at least 6 provinces of Zimbabwe covering an estimated population of 6 million people. 70% of GCN`s work is covered in the rural areas, 20% is based in the high density suburbs whilst the other 10% is shared between low density suburbs, peri urban settlements, mines and farms. GCN activism around child sexual abuse started in 1998 and the August 2004 Gender Based Desk study closely analysed 20 000 child sexual abuse cases.
GCN embarked on a March Against Child Sexual Abuse in 2000 from Chitungwiza to Mutare. This awareness on child sexual abuse to the girls and communities from Chitungwiza to Harare, Ruwa, Bromley, Marondera, Macheke, Headlands, Rusape, Nyazura, Penhalonga and Mutare saw women and girl child activists calling upon girls to break silence on child sexual abuse especially rape. This march went a long way in unearthing the many cases of rape that for long had been swept under the carpet. After this long March Against Child Sexual Abuse which took 17days and covered 280 kilometres the silence on girl child sexual abuse was broken and people responded to the awareness campaigns positively and every weekend child sexual abuse campaigns were conducted at open places at most high density suburbs shopping canters. GCN cannot give all the credit on the level of awareness on rape to this particular march as many ngos and government ministries had similar programmes which went a long way in breaking silence on rape. The victim friendly system was just perfect and assisted greatly in responding to this menace. One female journalist working with The Herald, Ropafadzo Mapimhidze, who met face to face with the rape survivors at GCN Empowerment Village shed tears and was greatly disturbed with what she saw. Within the media circles coverage of girl child sexual abuse has always taken centre stage. Since then it is now apparent that Ropa was so evoked that she made several visits to GCN and girl child sexual abuse media coverage has intensified.
Hope Chigudu in her Amazing Double Talk which is still work in progress correctly and aptly sums up what GCN is all about as she is the one who did the evaluation on the impact of GCN in communities:
Bringing the example closer home, a case study of our own Girl Child Network may serve to illustrate how policies and strategies that are adaptable to real life situations will always succeed in addressing real life situations as well as in ensuring meaningful results for women and children in their struggles for survival.
The Girl Child Network was practically born out of discussions between a female schoolteacher and ten upper six girls at a local school in Chitungwiza following numerous cases of ill treatment and discrimination from male teachers and male students in the school. Each time the girls attempted to participate fully in class and in other school activities, they were jeered at and booed down by their male colleagues simply on the basis of their womanhood. Having been formally abused in her childhood, Betty Makoni, the schoolteacher organized with the female students and formed a Girl child club, a solidarity group to assist these young girls to cope with their deprivation and insecurity. With time more Girl child clubs were subsequently formed in other schools in Chitungwiza, and the driving force behind the clubs was one; the subjectivity and suffering of the girl child. With so many clubs sprouting, the need to coordinate their activities culminated in the formation and launch of the network in 1999.
Within its short life, the Girl Child Network has succeeded in raising awareness about issues related to girl children, especially the issue of being able to identify and name the abuser, an element that is pertinent to the issue of abuse in a context where silences around abuse are normalized. The Girl Child Network has always ensured that girls participate in gender sensitization programs at an early age, and girls have been equipped with information for survival skills. The most important thing is that the organization was able to do this resounding work with very little funding at the beginning. Instead of crying for bigger budgets from the donors, the Girl Child Network placed so much emphasis on practical activities such as marches, activities that the girls themselves had to engage in with very little financial support. At one time they organized a march from Harare to Rusape, passing through and stopping over in farms and rural villages, conscientizing women, men and children on the ills of child abuse. The success of their marches lay in that they also involved gender-sensitive men, who acted as role models to other men on how important it is for the whole nation to team up against abuse. Stopping over in farms and rural areas was a powerful strategy since such areas are often neglected and deprived of information, yet these are the places where most of the abuse occurs. This programme was an eye opener to many women and girls, some of whom were able to come out during the March and report cases of abuse. If a single march could yield such wonderful results, what kind of results would similar marches in all districts of Zimbabwe yield if women could just value the importance of coming together and committing for a common cause without having to wait for budget approvals from the donors.
Girl Child Network tries to uplift the image and esteem of children in the realization that children who feel positive and confident are more likely to be able to accurately recognize and then respond appropriately to potentially abusive situations. Thus they have developed material and programmes that enhance and develop self-esteem and a positive self-concept. Their role model programme which started in 2 000 aims at connecting young survivors of abuse to successful female role models that the girls could look up to and aspire to emulate.
If Girl Child Network works in an area, the masses will know that the Girl child Network is here. Ordinary people, medical staff, chiefs, teachers, district administrators, church people, police and significant others. Different social groups or individuals may all not be supportive and some have not been but its presence will be felt. Girl Child Network has got its own supporters, people who will cry, kick and fight if it was threatened. Some of the girls testify that they have been empowered by the organization, so its outputs are clear. In the same vain, its enemies are also clear, those who would rejoice if it died. Most important is that it is rooted in the communities, has a power base. At the same time, it is part of the women’s movement and had been rather vocal at the national level. It has tried to create a mass movement at least at community level.
For Girl Child Network to be effective, it has created room for activism in its plans. It has budged for it emotionally and financially. There are many times when the Director has had to wake up in the middle of the night to rescue an abused girl 400 km away. Imagine if she had to consult the operational plan or call the chair of the board at 2 am to ask for permission. Would she really manage to rescue abused girls? Some of the girls have stayed with members of staff without counting the cost. Abusers have ambushed staff and some have invaded the organization. This is the price an activist pays for passion. It cannot be budgeted for, and it might not be easy to include in a strategic plan. This is not to say that strategic plans are not useful.
The Girl Child Network still needs to work on a broader political strategy for long-term prevention of child abuse by lobbying for appropriate state policies, guidelines, programmes and legislation. Doing this is realizing the importance of the law, without which justice in social relations can never be attained. The organization should also involve the young girls in political awareness through programmes like the youth cabinet or the youth parliament, especially now that we have a female Vice President in place. Focusing on such role models will give the young people political awareness and socialize them into active politics at a very young age, thus demystifying the concept that active politics is a male domain.
To sum up we need to question the way we organize as women activists. Can we change the situation of women without creating a mass movement, without a power base and a clear constituency? Can bureaucratized organizations, driven by the donor ideologies bring about real changes? Do the strategic plans we formulate respond to the needs of the people we claim to represent? Some soul searching in the women’s movement is needed.
GCN”S Mission
We are an organization that supports the empowerment of the girl child in Zimbabwe in all spheres of home, school and community.
Vision
We envision a society where girls enjoy their economic, social and political rights and become future women walking the fullness of their potential.
With a clear and agreed definition of empowerment, we are convinced that our mission summarizes who we are and what we stand for.
Definition of Empowerment
An Empowered girl is one who does not allow anyone to impede their full growth and development in all spheres of life
A Definition of Violence Against Girls
Defining violence against girls:
1998 -2004 helped GCN come up with a better and more concrete definition of violence against girls as captured in the girls’ stories, poems and several reports they brought to GCN, police, Social welfare and other children’s agencies .Violence against girls is best defined through the girls’ feelings. The following definition was concluded after various consultations during training workshops, counseling sessions, club launches with girls and other stakeholders. Whenever GCN refers to violence against girls, this is best understood as:
Physical, emotional, social, political intrusion and invasion of the girls` space by socially, economically and politically advantaged persons with the sole purpose of causing physical, mental, emotional and psychological harm. There are maximum benefits derived from causing harm on the girl child by those better placed and in advantageous positions in the home, school and community. The girl becomes afraid and gives in to one’s sexual desires, offers free labour, runs away and leaves more room for others, becomes afraid and succumbs to social, sexual and economic slavery .Violence perpetrated against girls in most communities is taken as norm and perpetrated by men, women and boys either directly or indirectly and this emanates from the socialization process where the girls` position is less regarded for girls are minors as children and the weaker sex as women. Girls are affected by both age and gender and endure combined violence perpetrated against both women and children[i]
GCN ‘s definition of violence against girls uses the word “space” a lot for the simple reason that social, physical and sexual space in the home, school and community is denied the girls to grow and develop to their full potential. Rights and access to education are denied the girl child and physical and emotional attack on their sexuality is aptly described by most girls during GCN awareness campaigns.
The Girl Child Phenomenon
Girls are affected by both age and gender
Though women, men and boys can be victims of Gender Based Violence, girls have been discovered to be more vulnerable and the primary victims because of their subordinate status of gender and age in the society. To girls society has become an unfair environment because of the many violent encounters that they face each and every day because of age and gender. The gender concept is therefore focused on socially constructed differences between men and women based on shared expectations and norms within a society. It is also based on culturally ascribed set of characteristics that define what it is to be a man or woman looking at their behavior, characteristics and role. The age concept focuses on the number of years and experiences of a human being. In this case a child is the youngest and most vulnerable human being. Based on the two concepts of age and gender, society is generally agreed that the girl child is the most vulnerable for she has to survive against a background where the woman, fairer sex is unjustly treated and taken as a second class citizen in most societies and where as a child one solely depends on adults for survival who can choose to take care or not, provide or not provide the three basic needs of food, shelter and clothing. The world over the issues of women and children take centre stage and if girls are both women and children it automatically entails their issues being dealt with separately and as a core group. This is not the case in many instances as it is evident that in many studies that have been conducted before girls are either bunched with women or children and in making recommendations it has proved difficult whether to classify girls` problems as women’s problems or children’s problems for girls belong to both. This desk study solely deals with girls` issues and violence perpetrated against them as a core group and an entity.