Gender Based Violence by Tarisai Jangara
She stood up with much confidence and boldness, geared to speak about the work that was being carried out by Women for Change in her community. She narrated the programmes they had undertaken and how she had been trained as a paralegal. She spoke of how she was helping women in her community to report incidences of gender-based violence and ensuring that there is justice. Few would have thought that Jessie Ngulube’s past was marked by incredible hardship, horrific violence, social isolation, and near-death destruction. And yet, her account was also one of survival, strength, and testimony of human strength.
“I was a victim of gender based violence for 27 years. My husband abused me emotionally, financially and physically. I stayed with him because I had nowhere to go. My parents advised me to preserve my marriage by being a ‘good wife’. For a long time I thought gender-based violence was a private matter that could not be discussed outside the family setup “she said
Jessie said after years of agony, she reported the matter to the local Headmen and her husband was summoned to the chief’s court. As a form of punishment, Jessie’s husband Ackin Ngulube (51) was told to give his wife’s family a goat as a way of showing remorse. This did not however deter Jessie’s husband from being abusive.
Ackin, who was present throughout the interview said, “Each time I got drunk, I would be violent and would beat my wife for no reason. I was also known in the community for my wayward behavior which made me really feel good. I would demand to eat meat every day at home yet I did not support my wife financially. I did not care about the welfare of my children,” Ackin recalled. However, in 2015, Women for Change embarked on a project focusing on improving Access to Justice for victims of gender-based violence, with support from the European Union. This project saw Jessie being trained as a paralegal and with the knowledge and expertise that she acquired, she now provides free legal advice to victims of domestic violence in her village. Her marriage also changed for the better as the husband transformed as a result of exposure he got from the Women for Change sensitisation programmes. Today, Ackin and Jessie are living in marital bliss. They are an example to other couples in the community and have become champions against gender-based violence.
5 Tigwepo - March, 2017