The girl child thus is one of the most vulnerable regarding newer infections amongst children who were to previously HIV-free children through sexual assault. What makes it worse is the fact that the girl child has traditionally served as a sacrificial lamb, capable of cleansing the clan of any evil or avenging spirits. The AIDS pandemic becomes a newer evil, that in the eyes of rogue traditional healers, requires cleansing before whole clans are wiped out. Consequently, these traditional healers have prescribed virgins as an antidote to HIV/AIDS. Although the percentage of children who fall victim through this is not known, the percentage of rape victims in Zimbabwean society is cause for alarm.
While the media warns children and teenagers of possible abuse, nothing is said of the drastic consequences of infection, HIV infection. To add to this, rapists who infect children get away with light sentences whose levels do not match the magnitude of their crime. The sentence for rape or an indecent act of a minor by an infected adult is not less than ten years. This is reflected in one case carried in The Herald (10 January 2007) of a man who got 12 years for raping a four year old. This is subject to possible parole, meaning that culprits can rejoin society and pose more risks for potential victims. The sentence is ridiculous and worse still, there was no indication that the victim was tested for HIV. This shows a society that appears to be insensitive and oblivious of the wider implications of HIV to the plight of children.
Poverty is also another aspect that is forcing girl children into sexual encounters detrimental to their health. While some girls run away into the harsh environment of the streets, others often become victims of prostitution in a bid to save siblings in dire need of a livelihood. Forced marriage is another phenomenon still rife particularly in the Eastern parts of Zimbabwe amongst some African Apostolic churches; a practice that has its roots in traditional culture. In times of famine, girls could be exchanged for as little as bags of maize meal. In another twist of fate, the girl child falls prey to the cultural practice of chiramu where a younger sister could be ‘wife’ to her sister’s husband.
Whichever way, the girl child happens to carry the extra burden of the world. In families where the parent(s) are bedridden AIDS patients, the girl child usually drops out of school to nurse the sick parent(s); again aggravating the possibility of getting infected. She assumes the responsibility of the family’s needs denying her any hope of a good education. With no help in sight, these children often get the easiest way out- using their bodies for survival; a situation that has resulted in a vicious cycle that is hard to break.
The shocking story of the orphan Tambudzai also highlights another dimension of newer
infections- coerced prostitution (“Four-year-long night-mare” The Sunday Mail, September 24, 2006). The story recounts how she was forced into prostitution by her stepmother and for four years slept with ‘hundreds of men.’ Chances are high she could be infected. All this expresses the vulnerability of the girl child in the HIV and AIDS environment, factors that require special emphasis regarding newer infections in children.
The question, which remains, is, what should be done? It is a fact in this case that the plight of children hinges on the behaviour of adults, which if not changed could result in more unnecessary deaths of children. Stiffer prison terms could see cases of child abuse going down, a fact that can be substantiated by low HIV and AIDS prevalence in Islamic states where any incidence of adultery, fornication and misdemeanors are met with harsh consequences. Media focus should reorient itself to the spread of awareness amongst children, especially very young children of the wider implications of abuse and rid society of behaviour that facilitates their falling prey to pedophilias.
By Angeline Madongonda
(PgDip in Media and Society Studies)
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