Leave No One Behind

Leave No One Behind

When love that proceeded from the depths of their loins and belly was no longer there, the love of power arose in Kaole and he no longer hung on his wife’s gentle words or surrender himself to her caresses. His concern was now being with his mac and the comfy brown-leather seat that propagated his newly found life of working night and day to pay the bills; which later turned his back against the woman who held his spine.

Unknown rage that he couldn’t suppress began to hype as the two drifted farther apart. At first there was guilt and an attempt to stop but soon he gave way, realizing how much he enjoyed shouting and walloping his knuckles into her skin. With every hit he felt a cold zing of delight, a buzz he couldn’t get any other way.

A perfect marriage from outside it seemed yet Lisa hid purple ribs and "florets" that budded on her thighs; she hid them like a precious marble yet she oozed out pain with each strained breathe. Their home was a cage for her body and her body reciprocated the “favour”.

Over the years, Lisa laid on her matrimonial cradle listening to the songs and sounds of fury, anger and fight; and vehemently enjoyed every bit of it hoping that one day a tiny breach would pave way for her freedom.

‘C’mon’, open the door!’ Kaole’s brother pushed himself through into the hospital door handing over a withered piece of skin to the doctors.

“That’s what’s left of my brother’s manhood”, he irritably told the doctors as he gave-out a numb piece of scrotum to them; One that he hurriedly picked up in a pool of blood where his brother’s body laid.

His skin was peeled off from the vital organs, blood oozing from his belly.  Although he seemed peaceful, you could see that tissues were torn and his blood slowly turned into a thick-turbid brown with its power to ooze dying out. Their urgings culminated into a horrific ordeal whose pangs will stick around forever_ his blood was squarely on her hands; she killed him.

Neighbours called in the police who arrested Kaole’s wife because, if it happens to women, it can happen to men too; my worry being, will justice prevail?

https://en.wordpress.com/tag/gender-based-violence/

The corpse was rushed to the morgue as mourners flocked into their home you’d think they were heaped together, waiting for that one call.

Such is domestic violence; it’s lethal!

This is a familiar story for many who’ve endured the gruelling pain and trauma of Gender Based Violence (GBV) whether domestic violence, sexual violence such as rape, sexual assault or harassment, harmful practices such as FGM, child and force marriages, psychological violence or even economic violence among many more; and the fact that many of these have been normalized and perpetuated through structural inequalities makes it more arduous.

With the International campaign to challenge violence against women and girls already underway, posters and billboards are taking rounds in various media podiums with high profile cases wallowing on newspapers’ headlines on strategies towards overcoming GBV. #16 days of fight against Gender Based Violence.  

While gender-based violence cases are way too high for women compared to men, a considerable number of such cases for men occur with many ending up unreported and they too need help.

In fact, GBV has been coined to refer to women problems which clarifies why most platforms that exist to address GBV issues are naturally inclined to resolving such matters from a woman’s viewpoint. For decades, women have been found on the frontline in fight against the demon yet we still find ourselves in the same predicament many eras later.

This is not to demean the fight on violence against women and girls at all which is extremely huge and should be out-rightly condemned and perpetrators persecuted but even further, to bring on board both genders towards creating collective and lasting solutions and therefore, both men and women have a role to play.

But even better, prevention is better than cure!

 

preventconnect.org

The question is; are you aware, willing and determined to rightfully play your role?

Surrounded by four black walls, there was nothing else to do for Lisa but to stare at them. To blindly look at the ballast that was chipping off with time. Anything to pass time was meaningful for her, slowly going mad, theorizing absurd meanings from the wall's blank stare. 

“I am finally free from the blows even though I'm caged” she sighed. She will be there for a long time!

#beyond 16 days of fight against Gender Based Violence

Mwende