A representative of Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association, or ZINATHA, made a clarifying statement about rape as a cure for health problems, practiced by some traditional healers in the country. He said that the association that many traditional healers in Zimbabwe belong to does not endorse rape as a cure for health problems or as a ritual for increasing wealth.

According to Rutendo Tapiwa, a volunteer at The Girls Legacy, ZINATHA rep encouraged the police present at the recent Code Red Against Rape March in Harare to arrest any healers or prophets who rape and use sex as part of healing processes.  “It was important that such a public denouncement was made in front of so many people,” underlined Tapiwa.

The Girls Legacy is an NGO that seeks to build the capacity of young women and girls through leadership development and mentoring.

The march, which was organized by Katswe Sistahood, a movement of young women fighting for the full attainment of sexual and reproductive health and rights, was part of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, an international campaign promoted from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10.