Zimbabwe Records Shocking Rise in Fathers Raping Their Children
Zimbabwe is grappling with a disturbing rise in sexual gender-based violence (SGBV), particularly cases involving fathers abusing their own children. Authorities warn that the trend, which accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, shows no sign of slowing.
At the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) Action Indaba on Gender-Based Violence in Harare, Tracey Mundanga, Principal Public Prosecutor at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), expressed deep concern over the increase in family-related sexual crimes.
She said both father-daughter rapes and father-son aggravated sexual assaults are rising.
“The father-daughter rapes are on the increase, and you’ll be surprised, father-son aggravated sexual assault cases are also rising,” she said.
Superintendent Tanga of the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Victim Friendly Unit confirmed that police are documenting multiple cases daily. On average, five to six cases involving fathers, stepfathers, uncles, or other relatives are reported each day. She added that many incidents go unreported because families fear stigma or social backlash.
“Of late, we have been receiving an average of five to six cases every day involving fathers, stepfathers, uncles, or relatives raping children. Fathers have become the main perpetrators,” she said.
Authorities are also seeing troubling new patterns, including sibling abuse and sexual exploitation by religious leaders, traditional healers, and other figures of authority. Mundanga noted that economic hardships are pushing more people to seek guidance from religious spaces, which, unfortunately, sometimes become sites of abuse.
“The more our economy struggles, the more people seek religious solutions, and sadly, those spaces have also become places of abuse. Sibling rapes are also on the rise,” Mundanga noted.
Sibling rape is also becoming more visible, with some brothers and sisters openly claiming romantic relationships.
“It’s no longer considered taboo. Some siblings boldly say they are in relationships. For example, the brother is 20, the sister is 18, and they are not ashamed. In some cases, the girl is pregnant,” she said.
The rise in sexual offences among minors is also linked to exposure to explicit online content and unsupervised use of mobile phones.
While some countries in the region have reported declines in gender-based violence, Zimbabwe is moving in the opposite direction. Vimbai Mutendereki, Executive Director of the Musasa Project, highlighted that most survivors know their attackers.
“In 80% of the cases, it is someone intimately known to the survivor,” Mutendereki said.
Musasa supports nearly 40,000 survivors each year, and despite ongoing interventions, the numbers remain alarmingly high.
A World Bank survey further underscores the persistent crisis. Physical GBV has remained largely unchanged; harmful practices like child marriage continue, with 33.7% of women marrying before 18 and 5.4% of men marrying before 15. Workplace harassment is also widespread, with over 90% of women reporting sexual harassment on the job.
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