Saving disabled women from sexual abuse

The story of Mary Chimimba and Jean Khembo—two women with disabilities who were raped and left pregnant—is an example of the worst sexual abuse of vulnerable women in the country.

Listening to the narration of the elderly mothers of the two, it is clear that although it is bad enough that the search for the men responsible has been in vain, the responsibility that the elderly women are left with in caring for the disabled women just worsens their poverty.

As Gladys, Mary’s mother, told The Nation, “life is tough every day”.

“Everything depends on me: cooking, washing or bathing her. I do piece-works to buy sugar for the baby’s porridge and other foodstuffs for Mary. It is not easy,” she says.

It is not surprising that she calls for help from well wishers.

“What we need is help from well-wishers because the task of taking care of the two is just enormous. With the current hunger situation, we sometimes sleep without eating and that is hard for the baby and Mary who has to breastfeed,” Gladys says.

Driven by the pains of raising her pregnant but grounded daughter, Mervis Khembo, Jean’s mother expresses similar sentiments.

“I have struggled with my daughter for 43 years because of her condition. I don’t want publicity on this issue because my immediate worry is how I will raise my daughter’s child,” Mervis says.

Merrium Namanja, executive director of Parents of Disabled Children Association in Malawi (Podcam) says circumstances surrounding the pregnancy of Jean are shocking and inhumane.

“Children with disabilities have a right to marry or find a loved one at some point. But the case of Jean is a sad story whereby someone has just taken advantage of her helpless condition to abuse her sexually.

“Here is a woman who does not talk, eat on her own, sit or do anything yet someone has impregnated her. This is very shocking and inhumane,” says Namanja.

Felia Malola of Pashello Charitable Trust at Ngabu in Chikwawa District says her organisation-which has been helping Gladys-has tried to sensitise and engage traditional leaders and communities on the need to protect women with multiple disabilities from sexual abuse.

“My worry is that the men responsible, if not apprehended, may come back one day to rape these girls again. We need to do more,” she says.

The journey to protect women such as Mary and Jean, experts note, begins with the policies that the country has which may help to prevent such cases from happening and punish those involved to deter others.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Children, Social Welfare and Disability Mary Shawa says Malawi is doing well on the legislative and policy front.

“We have, among others, the Disability Act, Gender Equality Act, Marriage and Family Relations Act. All these protect women, girls and even those with disabilities in general,” she says.

However, Shawa is quick to underline that the cases in question-involving Mary and Jean-are tricky because when you have a disability in the household, often it is members of the family that are responsible.

It becomes difficult, she adds, for a family to report one of their own if involved in such cases.

“Sadly, such cases get suppressed, eventually, making it challenging for the nation to punish offenders and root out the problem,” she says.

Shawa, however, could not help but question the intentions of those behind such hideous sexual abuse cases.

“When you have a disability in the home, the challenge is that it is mostly women who take the responsibility of providing care. Most family members do not.

“But women are also supposed to fend for the family. And as they move out of the house to earn a living, the disabled person is left alone and vulnerable to sexual abuse,” she says.

Shawa concedes that the case of Mary and Jean presents a big challenge for Malawi in protecting disabled women from sexual abuse.

“We need to shift our attention. We need families to rise up and take up the challenge with concerted effort,” she says.

She further adds that with concerted effort beginning at the family level, cases of Mary and Jean could ease in the country because her ministry is working tirelessly with the police to combat them. n