Orthodox Christian Initiative for Africa: If He Hits You, He Loves You

"If he does not hit you, he does not love you enough" is the sort of age-old belief that Zimbabwe activists say gives men free rein to beat their wives and stops women complaining. But things are now changing, according to women's rights activists, albeit slowly and from a crashingly low base. At least one in three women in Zimbabwe encounters physical violence, most at the hands of a husband or partner - a grim statistic that has only worsened during the Covid-19 lockdown as domestic tensions play out around the clock and behind locked doors.

In 2020, the national gender-based violence hotline run by women's rights charity Musasa answered nearly 7,000 calls from mainly women in distress, a 40% increase from the previous year. This was worsened by Covid-19 lockdowns as women were trapped inside with their abusers, writes Farai Shawn Matiashe for The Conversation.

Zimbabwe: If He Hits You, He Loves You - Country Tackles Myths and Violence

Thomson Reuters Foundation, 9 June 2021

"If he does not hit you, he does not love you enough" is the sort of age-old 'truism' that Zimbabwe activists say gives men free rein to beat their wives and stops women… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Surge in Domestic Violence Worry Police

The Herald, 23 February 2021

Police have expressed concern over increasing cases of domestic violence which in some instances, end up with deaths. Read more »
Zimbabwe: Study Shows Lockdown Triggered Sharp Rise in Violence Against Women

RFI, 29 September 2020

A new report has been launched in Zimbabwe showing a sharp increase in domestic violence during the country's two-month Covid-19 lockdown between April and May. Read more »