A Kwekwe woman, with mental illness is struggling to fend for her two children she sired with unknown men who are reportedly in the habit of sneaking into her bedroom raping her before disappearing.
The woman who cannot be named, now has two children whose fathers remain a mystery as they pounce on the woman during the cover of the darkness.
The matter came to light during a donation of seed and food hampers by the Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy (MBRC) recently with authorities emphasising the need to make sure the family gets food.
Councillor for Zibagwe Rural District Council Ward 2, Rodgers Nhari confirmed the incident saying that the woman is refusing to breastfeed her baby due to hunger and mental illness.
The woman was born with a mental illness and now has two children, one aged 5 and the other who is six months old.
“We have an unfortunate incident in my ward where men are in the habit of taking advantage of this woman. She is aged 23 and she now has two children whom she sired with unknown men. The men are aware of her condition and are in the habit of sneaking into her bedroom and forcing themselves on her before fleeing,” said Clr Nhari.
“The main challenge is that she is failing to produce milk for the baby due to hunger. They are failing to fend for themselves and at times the woman cannot feed the baby owing to her disability.” He said the woman stays with her aged mother adding the family was in need of assistance.
“The grandmother is now old and surely there is nothing she can do about the situation. To make matters worse, they leave the two of them only leaving the woman at the mercy of the perpetrators,” he said.
The matter has since been reported to the police who continuously say investigations are underway. He said the community has since mobilised food and they also managed to build a two-bedroom flat for the family so that they can have a roof over their heads.
He said there were two other similar cases in his area and chances were high that the perpetrators are the same. “It is almost in the same area in Benoni area in Katanga Road where we have almost a similar case where a mentally challenged woman was sexually exploited by her uncle. He fled after he learnt that police were after him after he left the woman with a baby and her mother,” he said.
According to Musasa Projects, the organisation recorded 614 cases of people with mental health issues and people with disabilities having been abused in 2021 alone.
Source Chronicle
