Girls advised to keep distance from men
Girls in Chiradzulu District have been advised to keep distance from men and protect each other from perpetrators of sexual violence.
This was said on Thursday during a role modeling session that was organized by Campaign for Female Education (Camfed) to encourage girls to go further with education and also interact with young ladies that are doing well in their career.
Speaking during the session, one of the nurses and mid-wives at Chiradzulu District Health Office (DHO), Mary Lenard said the numbers of cases are increasing and each day they treat two to three victim girls of defilement or rape.
She said: “As girls, we need to stay away from men whom we are suspecting of doing this. Most cases are coming from relations including biological fathers so we need to keep distance in the way we chat with men.”
Lenard advised the girls to report any male persons who are asking for sexual favors including teachers who most of the time comes in the name of wanting to assist them in mathematics and science subjects.
She said should they meet this fate they should seek medical attention as quickly as possible before 72 hours elapse to be protected from pregnancy and HIV.
Girls thanked the nurse for the timely message saying that this would assist them to even refrain from getting favors from young men and keep a distance from men that might ruin their life.
In random interviews with some women in the district, they said this was sad as a girl child was at risk because a day cannot pass without hearing that a girl has been defiled, worse still some are falling victims of their own biological fathers, uncles, brothers and cousins.
A Mother, Annie Basikolo said as women they have to teach their sons that defiling girl or raping a woman is a crime and should never condone a husband to abuse her girl child.
She gave an example of a man in Traditional Authority (TA) Kadewere who defiled his step-daughter when she was 10 years old and the issue was discussed at family level to keep the woman’s marriage and three years later the same man defiled a three year old sister in-law’s daughter.
“Had it been that this was dealt with at first occurrence, the other child could not have fallen victim. We should not shield these rapists to avoid a repeat of the same evil act,” Basikolo noted.
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