This week the shocking story of a 9 year old prostitute called Lady B living in the Epworth area of Zimbabwe emerged. My heart bled when I listened to her interview about how she was led into prostitution as a way of sustaining herself and her 5 year old sister.
It is criminal that such an act is going on right under the nose of the government. Lady B in her interview spoke about how she takes drugs and alcohol so that she can have the courage to perform these acts. Not only is she at risk of being violently abused physically but also at risk of getting HIV and other infectious diseases, not to mention the emotional damage to her well being. A 9 year old is still very much a child herself and on top of that she is also a mother to her 5 year old sibling. I cant understand why the Zimbabwean government is not doing anything to help this little girl and other children in her position. Zalera Makari, who is the MP for Epworth, in an interview this year spoke about how she was empowering her constituents...Is this what she meant??
Any sexual act with a minor is statutory rape under the law but the government is not doing anything to help Lady B. One of the women interviewing Lady B approached the government so that they could rescue Lady B from this terrible life that she is living but they told her that the only help they could afford Lady B was to give her contraceptives....really??? We say we have a government in place and yet they are putting a stamp of approval on the statutory rape of Lady B.
These children are orphans and they have no one in government to stand up for them, Grace Mugabe on the other hand was alleged to have beaten up Gabrielle Engels for giving drugs to her ADULT son. If she can fight for her son why can't she as First Lady fight for 9 year old Lady B?
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