Student beds prostitute

IN A shocking case of child delinquency and abuse, a 15-year-old student based at Murambinda Growth Point reportedly admitted that he has had several sexual encounters including having unprotected sexual intercourse 14 times with a prostitute.

This was revealed in a monthly report presented to the Victim Friendly Coordinating Committee (VFCC) by the Department of Social Welfare Manicaland on Thursday last week.

This shocking report was one of many presented by different stakeholders at the meeting. In it’s report the Department of Social Welfare indicated that this boy at one point went on to have sexual intercourse with the said prostitute barely a few hours after he had been circumcised.

The Department said that following a survey carried out in the Buhera District by CAMFED, it was noted that more than 300 school children were living without any form of parental supervision as they rent rooms at business centres or in villages while they attend school at institutions of their choice.

Most of the children, boys and girls, live by themselves in an arrangement commonly called ‘bush boarding’. This exercise is said to have exposed cases of child marriages, privacy invasion, bullying, sexual abuse, substance abuse and other forms of unbecoming behaviour by children due to lack of adult supervision.

Commenting on the report, the VFCC Chairperson, Mutare Regional Magistrate Mrs Loice Mukunyadzi, said that this was a prevalent and yet disturbing case of child neglect which could lead to parents’ or guardians’ prosecution because according to her it was the responsibility of parents or guardians to secure their children.

In an unrelated development, Mrs Mukunyadzi expressed concern at the alarming rate at which pastors and prophets were filling the jails for sexual related matters. A school in Sakubva also presented a report on students who are now hiring ‘monyas’ or mandimba-ndimba against each other, girls included.