Youth domestic violence on the rise

The National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) held a peace circle with young women in Pumula North, Bulawayo where they spoke out about the rising levels of domestic violence and Gender Based Violence (GBV) in their community. They felt that the rise was most noticeable in youth relationships; a shift from the past where domestic violence was mostly associated with the older generation.

 

Jacqueline Ndlovu, the ward 9 youth councilor, highlighted that the rise of domestic violence amongst youths could be attributed to the socio-economic issues affecting them. She said that unemployment and poverty are the major destabilisers of youth relationships.

“The rise in domestic violence can be linked to the high unemployment levels as well as the extreme poverty faced by young people in Zimbabwe,” said Ndlovu. “When a couple is experiencing financial difficulties, they are faced with various pressures which put a strain on their relationship subsequently leading to conflict,” she said.

On a daily basis, reports on domestic violence flood the media. Statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics office show that between 2012 and the first quarter of 2014 approximately 11 000 women and girls were victims of either domestic violence, rape or other forms of abuse. However, this figure is said to be more as most cases go unreported.

Patience Mahlangu, a young woman from Pumula North, concurred with the above assertion. She told the meeting that it was difficult for victims in their community to report cases of domestic violence as such cases are viewed as minor needing little police intervention.

“Most people do not report cases of domestic violence because police treat these as minor issues which should be discussed by the affected parties in the privacy of their homes,” said Mahlangu. “Additionally, reporting your partner to the police may at times exacerbate the situation as the victim may be further victimized for taking the matter to the police,” she said.

Furthermore, the young women felt that police corruption is one of the major problems that lead to a high number of cases going unreported. They said that some police officers often accept bribes from perpetrators of violence who are set free despite the severity of their crimes.

“The police in Pumula spend most of their time at the shopping centre playing snooker instead of being at the police station where victims of crimes can go and report cases,” said one young woman (name withheld). “Victims of crime have to go to the shopping center to report cases which are sometimes too sensitive to discuss in public areas,” she said.

Laws and policies such as the Domestic Violence Act and Sexual Offences Act have been put in place to eradicate this societal decadence yet not much has been done in tackling gender-based violence. The young women argued that firm action from the police was needed in order for the laws to be effective. They also said there was need for communities to be educated on gender based violence and on the steps to follow when one is faced with a domestic violence case.

The young women were advised to visit the Victim friendly unit, a section of the police that is trained to deal with victims of GBV, when faced with domestic violence or any other forms of GBV.

Peace circles are platforms provided by the National Youth Development Trust for young women to freely express themselves and to associate with each other. It is hoped that through these platforms, the organization will be able to develop the capacities of young females before integrating them into platforms that will involve their interaction and engagement with their male counterparts.