A LOCAL think-tank, Research and Advocacy Unit (Rau), says politically-motivated sexual violence against men is rife although most victims are not comfortable to come out in the open.
REPORT BY SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER
In a recent report titled Zimbabwe’s Macho Men — Politically Motivated Sexual Violence Against Men, Rau director Kudakwashe Chitsike said most of the sexual violence perpetrated on men between 2000-2009 was meant to punish them for supporting a certain political party.
She said the findings had been reached after interviewing 28 victims from four provinces: Bulawayo, Harare, Matabeleland North and Midlands.
According to the report released on Monday, being forced to have sexual intercourse either with a woman or another man, being forced to gang-rape women, having their genitalia touched, being forced to strip in public and any indecent sexual act without consent were all forms of sexual violence that men could suffer.
“All these acts are humiliating and degrading and are carried out to punish men for their support of a political party of their choice. The men stated that they were targeted either because they were mere candidates and/or members of an opposing political party,” Rau said.
The report said in other cases, men were forced to kiss and fondle a family member or masturbate in public.
“Six of the men stated that they were forced to strip in public while five were forced to watch their family members strip. Four had electrical cords attached to their genitals, three had their genitals touched, two were forced to watch family members gang-raped, two were forced to simulate intercourse with a hole in the ground, two were forced to have sexual intercourse with a woman and one was forced to have sexual intercourse with another man,” Rau said in its findings.
