Zim laws protect cattle than people - Analyst

Political analyst Alex Magaisa has said Zimbabwean laws seem to be much into protecting cattle than they should for human beings.

"The irony is that Zimbabwean laws protect cattle against theft better than they protect young girls against sexual abuse. Laws against theft of cattle provide for a mandatory prison sentence, yet a man who sexually abuses a child can get away with a fine or community service. It's a national scandal," said Magaisa.

He said earlier this week, the editor of The Chronicle, a national daily, called seeking an opinion on the law of consent in Zimbabwe. "There has been a spate of criminal cases concerning children who were sexually abused by older men and yet the sentences imposed by the courts were ridiculously low," said Magaisa. "It looked like the law concerning protection of children from sexual exploitation was weak and the attitude of the justice system to sexual crimes against children was shocking.

"While criminal law is not my area of speciality, I agreed to work with the paper to raise this matter of immense public interest. An interesting feature of all this is that the matter had first come under discussion on a Twitter thread in which I had participated at the weekend. It was interesting to see a debate generated on social media finding its way into the traditional media and from there, generating a great deal of public attention and debate."

He said The Chronicle has followed up with another story. " I understand radio talk-shows are also discussing this issue, demonstrating yet again the influence of social media," said Magaisa. "I have been fielding calls from journalists who have taken an interest in the matter. It seems to me that the matter is sure to command attention for some time mainly due to the weaknesses in the law and justice delivery system that we helped to expose.

"It is also a perfect demonstration of how discussions on social media are not just idle debate but that, if properly channelled, they can be a force for positive social change. It might seem strange to some to see my work earning space in state media, since I am often critical of it, but an important lesson here is the potential that rests on putting heads together in pursuing matters of public interest. Zimbabwe faces a myriad of challenges and not all of them are political. We cannot reduce everything to political contestation and if we can use national media spaces to pursue an agenda for social change, it can only be a good thing for Zimbabwe. This is a perfect illustration of Zimbabweans of different political persuasion getting together and driving an agenda for social transformation. This is as it should be …"