Rape clinic launches 72-hour campaign

THE Adult Rape Clinic (ARC) has launched a campaign that encourages victims of the crime to seek medical assistance within 72 hours to protect them from contracting HIV/Aids and pregnancies.

This comes as rape victims generally take time to report to police because of the stigma associated with the crime.     

ARC founder Memory Kadau yesterday said besides being critical for medical purposes, reporting rape within 72 hours helps investigators extract and secure evidence in the form of DNA to help nail the perpetrators.

"Rape, unlike other crimes, is a medical emergency which requires certain services to be acquired within a specified period of time.  

"Within three days, survivors can access free treatment from their nearest health facility to help prevent HIV, STIs and unwanted pregnancy.

"Other reasons to report during 72 hours are for the preservation of evidence that could be used in court in instances where a victim decides to report their case and the evidence can also be used to catch the perpetrator," Kadau added.

She said the organisation decided to launch the campaign because a number of rape victims and survivors have highlighted the lack of knowledge among Zimbabweans of what to do after suffering this ordeal.

"The 72-hour campaign is meant to encourage victims to at least consider their health before everyone else whether or not they decide to pursue the case in future," Kadau further said.

In Zimbabwe, the statute of limitation is 20 years, which means a rape victim can always report the crime whenever they are ready within this two-decade period.