Justice for Women (JW), an organization that advocates for the rights and freedom of women, has castigated police brutality against women.
The statement follows the arrest of several women activists among them, Lynette Mudehwe who was arrested, in Mutare, for public nuisance on Saturday, during a peaceful demonstration organized by National Electoral Reforms Agenda (Nera).
“We stand here aggrieved by the situation in this country as regards to violence against women perpetrated by state institutions, particularly the police.
“The police have the responsibility to protect citizens but have been turned into a partisan institution which devours anyone with a dissenting voice.
“The recent abductions, assaults, detention and sexual abuse of female activists is deplorable and must be condemned with the contempt it deserves,” the statement reads.
It further added that the concern on the human rights violations being committed by the state rises on how indiscriminate it has been and how women have been affected resultantly.
“As we speak, the record of brutality against innocent female Zimbabweans speaks for itself. Linda Masarira has been in illegal detention for more than 60 days .Karina Gweshe was abducted, beaten and dumped at Harare Central Police Station, showing a direct link between the perpetrators and the police,” another part of the statement alleges.
Justice for Women also took a swipe at how women are being exposed to physical and psychological abuse.
It said they are being assaulted and raped. The statement claimed that the State is at the center of these violations and called for an immediate stop to such an inhuman act.
Shocking: A woman shows the effects of police brutality
“We condemn in the strongest terms the recent arrests and torture of women who participated in peaceful demonstrations on Saturday whilst pushing for electoral reforms. We have seen the results of the inhuman treatment that has been exerted on women.
“These women were stripped naked whilst being assaulted and they have ghastly wounds on their bodies. These women were being freighted from one place to the next in a police truck full of drunken anti-riot police officers who took turns to assault them while making them lie on their tummies.
“The police officers were drinking alcohol in the truck and went to another party in Kuwadzana, merry making and assaulting these women in the process. These women were further unlawfully detained and one Beatrice Rusvara, who is still nursing her wounds, could not breast feed her child,” reads the statement.
