Johane Masowe yeChishanu victims neglected: Focus put on police assault.

Brief description of the item of work you submitted and motivation of why it is a good example of gender in media content-300 words.

The work submitted is a feature story on victims of women and child abuse allegedly perpetrated by faith based organisations, Johane Masowe yeChishanu sect in particular. Johane Masowe yeChishanu sect led by Madzibaba Ishmael has been using doctrines that help perpetuate sexual abuse of women as well as deny children rights to healthcare facilities and education. The religious sect came up with an operation code named “Recovery ” meant to appease men who married women who were not virgins. According to a certain female member of the church, young virgin girls were forced to marry older men to fulfill the aims of the operation (recovery).

Following the revelations, the Apostolic Christian Council of Zimbabwe (ACCZ), in the company of the police and journalists, visited the shrine in Budiriro 2 to announce its ban, resulting in the eruption of violent skirmishes. Some members of the church were arrested and charged with public violence. Women and children abuse cases were swept under the carpet and priority was given to public violence.
Both cases, that is, public violence and women and children abuse have merit in the context of Zimbabwe as guided by the constitution but authorities deliberately ignored the latter.
The article managed to expose how certain religious sects upholds the minority status of women. The article successfully took responsible authorities to task and exposed misplaced priorities on their part as far as dealing with women and child abuse is concerned.

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