M
MegaPyne
Guest
Dear Friends
For the last four days I have been angry and walking in street talking to myself because of the following event that took place at one of the centre where we held a Mobile VCT.
on Monday of 19 November we drove to Iniho to conduct a mobile VCT. In the village we were not received by the Chairman neither the village secretary (as usual for this village). However PIUMA members from this village were prepared with songs and had mobilised villagers to volunteer for the testing.
Late in the afternoon came one lady called Atumaye, the lady approached me and confined to me that she is there for the test without the permission of her husband and therefore she wanted me to talk to other villagers who had been on Que so that they should allow her to go in and be tested before the husband have realised that she is ta the testing centre.
she said a day before the testing day she had talked to her husband who is a polygamist of two wives her being the first wife to get married to their husband, Lazaro about the Visit of the PIUMA Mobile Clinic and her wish that all of them (the three) could get tested. The husband did not approve the request he gave instruction that he will kill any body of the two who will dare to get tested.
the next day the wife was pushed with her internal desire for the test so much to an extend that she could not resist the temptation to defy her husbands order. she took her kitenge walked to a testing centre at the village centre.
after negotiation with villagers she got a chance to be in the testing room and she was nicely and quickly served/counselled and tested, (her HIV status was not disclosed). she came out of the testing room and started walking very fast towards her home as she wanted to be home before the husband have realised that she had been tested contrarily to her order as the king of the house.
she was late because the news had leaked to her husband and the husband was hiding at a nearby bush waiting for her to image from the testing centre. as soon as the lady cam close to the hide out of the husband, the guy imaged and started biting the wife with a very big stick demanding explanation why did the woman got tested without his approval.
the woman was beaten very badly, she could not defend herself she had only one option to lie down and hide her face by burying it in the soil. The man kept on beating her with a stick and kicking her on ribs, the woman was defence less until when i arrived at the spot and intervened. in getting up the woman was breeding and her brouse was tone into pieces leaving her breasts out.
The gentleman left the scene with an angry face swearing that if the woman will ever repeat to defy her orders next time he will kill her. I called the village Secretary over phone who was somewhere in the village, he came and filled a case. he wrote a note to ask the attendant at the dispensary to treat the lady. he said he will get the village security guards (Mgambo) to get the man to his office.
I called the police who talked to the village Secretary who asked him to get the man into custody and they will come in the village the next morning to pick him. The next morning the police came to village only to be told by the village secretary that the guy is hiding some where. when I gt this news I talked to the OCD for Makete 0784 544870 for his intervention as i thought the Village Secretary could might have decided to help the husband.
the OCD asked me to visit the police station to file a case. this morning i went to the police station and I was told by the police at the desk that i can file a case as I was not the one beaten.The police man have asked me to go back to the village and convince the lady to file a case against her husband. I could not agree with that, since i knew the lady will not be ready to take the husband to court, since the woman is scared in case any thing goes wrong and the husband is put to prison then this woman willbe blamed by all the relative of the husband and possibly to be chased away from the land where their house is. Women have to accept their husbands order and even be submissive to beating, after a long time negotiation, I had to convince the police man who was attending me to go and get a counsel from the OCD. the OCD had asked the police man to file a case of violence at a place of work.
I filed the case, the police have promised to look for the this gentleman. yet I fear that it might have been their trick to let me out of the police station and they will do nothing. And therefore i need a special push so that the right of this woman to treated well, the right to her wish be respected and the right for her access to health services like VCT be retained.
I am coping this mail to the media, to lawyers, human right activists and many friends from different cadres for an assistance on how to go about with this case. All human being are equal, and everybody deserves to be recognised and respected his humanity and be treated with dignity.
It is my sincere hope that you will do something to preserve the right of this lady.
Sincerely
For the last four days I have been angry and walking in street talking to myself because of the following event that took place at one of the centre where we held a Mobile VCT.
on Monday of 19 November we drove to Iniho to conduct a mobile VCT. In the village we were not received by the Chairman neither the village secretary (as usual for this village). However PIUMA members from this village were prepared with songs and had mobilised villagers to volunteer for the testing.
Late in the afternoon came one lady called Atumaye, the lady approached me and confined to me that she is there for the test without the permission of her husband and therefore she wanted me to talk to other villagers who had been on Que so that they should allow her to go in and be tested before the husband have realised that she is ta the testing centre.
she said a day before the testing day she had talked to her husband who is a polygamist of two wives her being the first wife to get married to their husband, Lazaro about the Visit of the PIUMA Mobile Clinic and her wish that all of them (the three) could get tested. The husband did not approve the request he gave instruction that he will kill any body of the two who will dare to get tested.
the next day the wife was pushed with her internal desire for the test so much to an extend that she could not resist the temptation to defy her husbands order. she took her kitenge walked to a testing centre at the village centre.
after negotiation with villagers she got a chance to be in the testing room and she was nicely and quickly served/counselled and tested, (her HIV status was not disclosed). she came out of the testing room and started walking very fast towards her home as she wanted to be home before the husband have realised that she had been tested contrarily to her order as the king of the house.
she was late because the news had leaked to her husband and the husband was hiding at a nearby bush waiting for her to image from the testing centre. as soon as the lady cam close to the hide out of the husband, the guy imaged and started biting the wife with a very big stick demanding explanation why did the woman got tested without his approval.
the woman was beaten very badly, she could not defend herself she had only one option to lie down and hide her face by burying it in the soil. The man kept on beating her with a stick and kicking her on ribs, the woman was defence less until when i arrived at the spot and intervened. in getting up the woman was breeding and her brouse was tone into pieces leaving her breasts out.
The gentleman left the scene with an angry face swearing that if the woman will ever repeat to defy her orders next time he will kill her. I called the village Secretary over phone who was somewhere in the village, he came and filled a case. he wrote a note to ask the attendant at the dispensary to treat the lady. he said he will get the village security guards (Mgambo) to get the man to his office.
I called the police who talked to the village Secretary who asked him to get the man into custody and they will come in the village the next morning to pick him. The next morning the police came to village only to be told by the village secretary that the guy is hiding some where. when I gt this news I talked to the OCD for Makete 0784 544870 for his intervention as i thought the Village Secretary could might have decided to help the husband.
the OCD asked me to visit the police station to file a case. this morning i went to the police station and I was told by the police at the desk that i can file a case as I was not the one beaten.The police man have asked me to go back to the village and convince the lady to file a case against her husband. I could not agree with that, since i knew the lady will not be ready to take the husband to court, since the woman is scared in case any thing goes wrong and the husband is put to prison then this woman willbe blamed by all the relative of the husband and possibly to be chased away from the land where their house is. Women have to accept their husbands order and even be submissive to beating, after a long time negotiation, I had to convince the police man who was attending me to go and get a counsel from the OCD. the OCD had asked the police man to file a case of violence at a place of work.
I filed the case, the police have promised to look for the this gentleman. yet I fear that it might have been their trick to let me out of the police station and they will do nothing. And therefore i need a special push so that the right of this woman to treated well, the right to her wish be respected and the right for her access to health services like VCT be retained.
I am coping this mail to the media, to lawyers, human right activists and many friends from different cadres for an assistance on how to go about with this case. All human being are equal, and everybody deserves to be recognised and respected his humanity and be treated with dignity.
It is my sincere hope that you will do something to preserve the right of this lady.
Sincerely
