Women from Insiza District, are facing various challenges due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown and restrictions which have worsened their living conditions and relations in their patriarchal communities.
They listed food shortages, gender based violence, lack of male support and traditional gender roles as some of their daily encounters that is making their life difficult during the pandemic.
Speaking to CYDT, Sukoluhle Ndlela said abiding by the COVID-19 requirement such as social distancing, wearing masks and avoiding public places was a challenge to most women largely due to gender inequalities that overload them with responsibilies.
Ndlela said their husbands were not supportive enough as they refuse to take responsibilities such as taking care of children or taking children to the clinic when they are sick.
‘Sometimes you go to the clinic when not feeling well and you are told to bring your husband but they refuse. Actually it becomes a big issue,’ said Ndlela.
Gender Based Violence (GBV) is also said to have increased during the lockdown as men ‘spend more time at home’.
Echoing similar sentiments, Enita Mangena said young women were at the receiving end of abuse as they are afraid to report such cases or leave them as they depend on them.
“Young mothers are afraid to leave their abusive partners claiming that if they leave or report them to the police, who will look after children financially?” Enita Mangena.
Such beliefs and experiences reveal the deeper lying economic issues that women face as they are reliant on men for support.
However, Mangena encouraged other women and communities at large to stand up and fight GBV
“We need to stand for each other instead of laughing and ridiculing each other when our encounter these abuses from men,” said Mangena.
She added that as women they must be ready and brave to report cases in which a woman is violated to the authorities or to organisations that deal with women issues.
Insiza women alleged that traditional beliefs teachings that women must respect men need to be abandoned as they present women as second class and are an igniter of GBV.
They also lamented about the bad state of the economy that have left many families drowning in hunger and poverty, creating opportunities for men to abuse women.
Insiza women proposed that organisations that deal with women challenges must work on teaching women that they are capable of standing on their own, therefore, they do not have to give-up their own independence and freedom. They added that every woman must be aware of their rights and freedoms and never give in to GBV.
Ever since the pandemic, GBV has been a global concern as it has been on the increase due to a number of factors.
In Zimbabwe, in 2020 Musasa recorded a total of 764 reported cases of GBV within the first 11 days of the Lockdown, compared to 500-600 cases a month prior to COVID-19.
It has been reported also that Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has been the most frequently reported form of GBV according to the Stopping Abuse and Female Exploitation (SAFE) Zimbabwe 2020 report.
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