Child President Anesu Rangwani has condemned escalating cases of rape in Zimbabwe and urged the government to immediately intervene to stem the tragic reality.
“The rate is alarming and we are calling on responsible authorities, including the law enforcement agencies, to do everything they can to ensure that cases of child rape decrease or totally disappear,” he said.
Rangwani urged the police to channel more resources towards this and other cases of abuse, being perpetrated on children.
“We know that the police have been working diligently in the past, but I think they should tighten their belts and channel either human or material resources that would allow them to deal with the perpetrators,” he said.
He added that the country’s courts should impose deterrent sentences that will protect children. “It is everyone’s responsibility in Zimbabwe to protect children and this should be a priority,” said the Child President.
Recently there was a public outcry after the police revealed that 124 girls were raped in the first 13 days of September.
Most of the girls’ lives were destroyed and Rangwani said children need to be protected if the country is to move forward and combat the spread of diseases such as HIV and other sexually transmitted illnesses.
According to children’s rights groups, one-fifth of female Aids cases in Zimbabwe involve girls in their teens or younger, while the equivalent number among males is one-seventh.
