The Sunday Mail
Emmanuel Kafe —
SMASHED up by an inclement life on the streets, a rugged boy with twisted hair and dirty torn clothes lay helplessly at the Intersection of Herbert Chitepo Avenue and Leopold Takawira in Harare.
Takura Mutunje (not real name), 14, lives in a shack made of pieces of cardboard boxes and plastics. His home is within a certain building that is being renovated. His voice is very low as he endures the pain of street life and begs for something to eat.
He is in a sorry state and a strong stench comes from the boy’s body, probably due to the long period he has had to endure without taking a bath. Mutunje is visibly ill.
He confides to this publication that he is suffering from a sexually transmitted disease. He is a victim of sexual abuse. Mutunje is among the street children who are experiencing sexual abuse.
“What I have experienced over the past two years I have been here in Harare is unbelievable and even if I tell you, you will not believe me,” he said as he wiped away tears.
The young came hitch hiked from Beatrice to the capital.
“A certain white man who drives a red land cruiser used to come and pick me here and he would offer me money for anal sex. After realising that I am now sick, he is no longer coming and I have no one to help me now,” he narrated.
Concurring with Mutunje, another boy said, “The man would come almost thrice a week.”
They said some men come driving big tinted flashy cars and park at a nearby bar targeting them. They then offer to buy food for the boys, which they have since realised is a trap to lure them for sex. Mutunje said he would get $3 for engaging in sex with the man.
From the information gathered by The Sunday Mail Extra, these children are being abused by some people who hold positions of authority in society. Sadly, they do not report the cases to the police due to the situation they find themselves in.
A Zimbabwe Republic Police official from the Harare province who preferred anonymity said they are yet to receive any reports of sexual abuse among street children.
“We do not have any cases of these children being sexually abused, maybe they are afraid to come and report because sometimes it might be consensual,” said the official.
Tatenda (not her real name), 16, is also among the children who experience both sexual and verbal abuse on the streets.
“I started living on the streets when I was six years old and I am being sexually abused by the male peers I stay with at our base in Mbare.
We often have unprotected sex. At times l consent but most of the times l am forced into it. I have never bothered to report them to the police because I am afraid they will chase me away from the base,” Tatenda said.
She said she got pregnant at the age of 15 before being transferred to the Harare Gardens where most girls live.
“I aborted the pregnancy, it was an excruciating experience that had many complications,” she said.
While some of the boys on the streets are sodomised and bullied, the girls are at high risk of gender based violence, which is manifested in the form of sexual exploitation and physical violence.
They also do not have access to sanitary wear. Andrew (19), who is popularly known by his peers as Zato, has been living on the streets for the past five years
He said the living conditions, especially for the girls, is terrible. He confirmed that some of his peers were infected with sexually transmitted diseases. Well-wishers help with medication and food.
Street Ahead and House of Smile are timely helpers who bring food, clothing and also help the children reintegrate with their families. However, some of the street children interviewed by The Sunday Mail Extra said they came back to the streets after being taken back to their ‘abusive’ families.
“I was once helped by Street Ahead to go back home but my step mother ill-treated me so badly. That’s why I decided to come back to the streets,” said Arthur in a very sad tone.
While street children are very physically visible as they live on street pavements, they are also among the most “invisible” when it comes to accessing vital services such as health and education.
