A surreal case of suspected GBV
ON August 25, 2015, an unidentified male poured acid on Diana (not her real name), with the liquid disfiguring her nostrils, lips and eyes.
Eight years later, she hopes justice will one day be served.
Although she has had several medical face reconstruction procedures, none have managed to restore her life.
“Life has never been the same since that night; everything changed and ‘unfortunately’ for the worst,” she told The Sunday Mail last week from her home in Glen View.
Working at an insurance firm as a supervisor, Diana was married, financially stable and independent. She had just received a mortgage to buy a house in Harare’s medium residential suburbs; her life was finally shaping up.
However, the everything.
Her husband left their marital home two days after the incident and never returned. The attack also left her dependent on other people for almost everything.
“My husband left when the incident happened. It has taken a huge toll on my two children.
“However, it is not the dependency that bothers me, it is the fact that the man who did this to me was never found,” she said.
Diana is living in constant fear. She is afraid of going outside or moving around at night.
“Since the assailant was not found and I never got to know the motive behind his attack, I am afraid he might strike again and, this time, kill me.”
Diana recalls instances when she felt her husband of 11 years was insecure and jealous of her success. acid attack changed
She said she never experienced any physical violence when she was married. It was the jealousy that worried her.
“When I got my driver’s licence, he was not as happy as I expected a man to be for his wife. The other time was when I got a mortgage to buy a house. I could tell he was not happy; I sensed it.
“There were instances when I felt he was trying to pin me down.”
On the fateful day, Diana and her husband returned home from work as usual.
Her husband disembarked from the car to open the locked gate to their house and Diana remained seated.
A man suddenly came from nowhere and poured a liquid that resembled tea through a car window.
Diana said she immediately started feeling discomfort and her hair started to burn.
She got out of the car to seek assistance from neighbours.
Taking advantage of the confusion, the assailant sped off with the couple’s car. The car was never recovered.
Diana was taken to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and diagnosed with 42 percent burns. Her right eye could no longer see. The left eye was also affected in 2019.
“I believe it was something planned by someone close to me.
“A part of me believes that my husband was the one who hired someone to pour acid on my face,” Diana further narrated to this publication.
“I believe it was gender-based violence (GBV).
“I was targeted.
“I do not believe it was a random attack. Someone out there knows the reasons and motives behind.
“I do not know if I will ever get the answers I want, so I have moved on with my life, one day at a time.”
Diana now sells home-made detergents for a living. The income is not enough to meet her basic needs.
She is a holder of a theology diploma and conducts counselling sessions. She says the diploma has helped strengthen her faith.
Violence against women and girls remains the most prevalent human rights violation around the world.
Yesterday, Zimbabwe joined other countries across the world to commemorate the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, observed annually from November 25, which is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10, the International Human Rights Day.
According to the 2019 Multiple Indicator Survey, one in two women between 15 and 49 years had experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse committed by the current, last husband or partner.
Diana’s surreal case shows why the calls for elimination of violence against women