By Rumbidzai Zijena
Approximately seven (ECD) Early Child Development girls, have been sexually abused by a fellow pupil who is doing grade four at Chibuwe primary school in Chipinge.
In Ward 20 Chipinge South a nine-year-old boy, is believed to have sexually assaulted around seven little girls that are known of and may be continuing as the parents of the victims have not reported the matter to the police or taken their children to a hospital\clinic. The boy is said to have coerced these children into lying on the ground while he went on top of them and did what he did, one child described after one mother had noticed the child’s discomfort while bathing her. The mother of the first victim said they did not take the matter to the authorities because they’re neighborly with the family of the accused and did not want to cause havoc by going to the authorities before discussing the matter.
This problem is as a result of parents and teachers incompetence as these very young children give the impression their unsupervised and have little or no productive recreational activities allowing them the time indulge in miscellaneous activities unnoticed. Worse still the boy, is rumored to have been born HIV positive meaning he may ultimately be destroying lives permanently without even realizing it.
Children at the Early Child Development stage are to be monitored very closely, as they are more or less still toddlers. These acts, which can be termed rape shows that these children may not at all being escorted to and from school and parents at the end of the day, do not know their young child’s day-to-day endeavors.
Another issue that may arise is the issue of exposure. In most socialization theories it is found that children learn most things from copying repeating and reinforcing. This then concludes that the grade four boy learnt or saw what he did from somewhere between home and school, revering back to the issue of incompetence and lack of concern on the part of both the parents and teachers.
Neighbors and nearby adults should notify the authorities who look into child welfare if they take notice of such behavior amongst children.
