Shows
0 sec ago
Zim authorities worried over rise in child sex abuse cases
HARARE - It's a case that has fixed a light on rising child sex abuse in Zimbabwe.
Authorities say they've become increasingly worried over the growing trend in these types of abuses against children.
Recently, a 9-year-old girl from a district in Matabeleland gave birth.
Her own father has been arrested.
Police suspect him of raping his own child and fathering her baby.
Gender rights activists say they’re disheartened by the rise in these cases.
"The rape cases against children, especially by parents they look up to, is quite disheartening," said Whispers Trust director Sibo Buhlungu.
"Recently we are seeing that the same parents who should provide safe spaces have turned out to be the perpetrators of
sexual harassment or rape."
According to research by UNICEF, one in every three children below the age of 16 in Zimbabwe has or will suffer sexual abuse and trauma.
* eNCA correspondent Pindai Dube reports.