RAPED: WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES SHARE ORDEALS

These three stories represent many girls and women with disabilities who have not only been sexually assaulted but have also suffered in silence.

Prisca Ntalasha

Zambia: On her wheelchair, Taonga Phiri sings her favourite bemba hymn, "Lesa ekachema wandi," which means "The Lord is my Shepherd," and the sorrow and pain in her voice cannot be overlooked.

She was born with paralysed legs and is unable to walk. She is not depressed as a result of her condition because she has lived with it for the past 18 years and accepted her fate. She is depressed because a heinous incident that happened to her three years ago still haunts her.

Taonga, the youngest of her parents' four children, was raped when she was 15 by an unknown man, and the incident not only left her psychologically traumatised but also physically injured. She has a bone injury on her right hip from the process and requires immediate medical attention.

She had travelled with her mother from Lusaka, her hometown, to Chipata, Eastern Province, for a funeral when the incident occurred.

Taonga`s Nightmare

Taonga vividly recalls a man pushing her to the ground and forcing her legs wide open in the backyard of one of the huts, where she was alone.

The rapist, whose face she couldn't recall, told her not to scream and threatened to kill her if she did.

"I couldn't run away or fight him. I was afraid of dying, so I let him do whatever he wanted with me," Taonga explains.

She has never told anyone about the incident until now because she is afraid, particularly of her mother, who she claims is harsh to her.

Her father, who died earlier this year, was the only person she said showed her love and care.

Taonga begs this reporter to help her get rid of the pain on her right hip bone that she has been experiencing since the rape.

"Sometimes I can't sleep at night because the pain is too intense. I just want this pain to go away; please help me," Taonga cries.

`Mr Nice` Turns Rapist

Chipo Siyadindi, 30, of Lusaka's Kuku Township is another victim of sexual violence. She, too, is unable to walk and relies on a traditional wooden wheelchair.

Chipo was 26 years old when she was raped by Lupupa, a man she lived in the same neighbourhood with and who was 'nice' to her.

"He wheeled me to an unfinished building and said he liked me, and before I knew it, he was on top of me. I was not prepared, I sobbed as he raped me. Lupupa was so nice to me, and I had no idea he could be so nice to me," Chipo recalled.

Chipo discovered she was pregnant a few months later; however, Lupupa rejected the pregnancy when approached, stating that he cannot accept a baby from a "disabled woman."

"My son is now four years old, and I have been supporting him solely through begging and the money I receive from the government through Social Cash Transfer. I haven't seen Lupupa since," she explained.

Saved by a Scream

Prisca Ntalasha's story differs slightly from Taonga and Chipo's.

Prisca, who is 45 years old and uses a wheelchair, narrowly avoided being raped by a family friend.

"I was 27 years old when my elder sister left me at home with a male family friend to go shopping. He saw an opportunity to touch me, but I screamed, neighbours came to my rescue, and he ran away," Prisca explained.

Prisca is still traumatised by the incident, despite the fact that she was not rapped and that many years have passed.

"I am always afraid and suspicious of men, especially those who try to approach me, because I believe they want to rape me," she explained.

These three stories represent many girls and women with disabilities who have not only been sexually assaulted but have also suffered in silence.

Thousands of girls and women are raped in Zambia each year, with people with disabilities among the victims.

People with disabilities, according to the United Nations (UN), are those who have "long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments that, when combined with other barriers, may impede their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others."

Luck of Statistics on Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls with Disabilities

Zambia Police's 2021 Annual Gender Based Violence (GBV) Statistical Report shows that at least 3,031 sexual offences against girls and women were reported across the country in 2021.

However, the report does not specify how many of those cases involved girls and women with disabilities.

According to this reporter's findings, national prevalence data on violence against women and girls with disabilities are not available in Zambia, as it is in many other Southern African countries, including Malawi and Botswana.

To back up this, Emmah Kaputo, Rehabilitation and Research Senior Officer at the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD), a quasi-governmental organisation responsible for disability issues, stated in an interview that the agency currently has no data or statistics on sexual violence against girls and women with disabilities, despite receiving reports.

Ms. Kaputo, on the other hand, stated that plans to create a database for such cases are in the works.

"We have developed a Disability Information System (DIS) for all people with disabilities, and we are now planning to create a database of all cases involving people with disabilities," she explained.

Call for Action

Global evidence suggests that the prevalence of violence among people with disabilities is higher than among those without disabilities. This is especially true for women and girls with disabilities, who are subjected to all forms of violence, including gender-based violence (GBV).

According to Bwalya Chilufya, National Coordinator and Activist of the Zambia National Association for Women with Disabilities (ZNADWO), sexual violence against girls and women with disabilities is on the rise in Zambia.

"There is no safe place for girls and women with disabilities out there; they are raped on a daily basis in communities and even in their homes; they are more vulnerable, and the majority of them are unable to defend themselves. It's real and it's everywhere," Ms Chilufya explained.

She did observe, however, that most victims do not report because they are stigmatised by the community and, in some cases, the police.

"When they report, in most cases, no one believes them; instead, they are ridiculed, and no one wants to be ridiculed. More sensitization is required for victims, law enforcement, and the community," she said.

Sexual violence against girls and women with disabilities is undeniably prevalent in Zambia, and the importance of all stakeholders paying close attention to the issue cannot be overstated.

These girls and women are daughters, sisters, mothers, grandmothers, wives, friends, and, above all, human beings who, like those without disabilities, require protection.