Stop Excusing Rape: Prevention Belongs to Offenders, Not Victims
By Michael Mupotaringa
“Never find yourself making excuses and defenses for rape. It’s wrong, it’s wrong.” That should be the starting point and the end point of any discussion. Rape is not an accident of fashion, not the consequence of nightlife, not a lapse in female discipline, it is a crime. A violation of autonomy. A deliberate act. Prevention should be aimed at offenders, not victims.
The Cost of Victim-Blaming
Every time society lectures women on what to wear or how to behave, it shifts responsibility away from the person committing the violence. It makes survivors feel guilty, ashamed, or complicit in crimes committed against them. Worse, it emboldens predators who learn that communities will focus more on the victim’s “choices” than on the perpetrator’s actions. This is rape culture at work: normalizing sexual violence by dressing it up in myths and excuses.
When Words Re-Traumatize
Recently in Zimbabwe, a social media personality who was presented as a kind of “social worker” figure sparked outrage by saying women’s dress invites rape. The backlash was swift, and he attempted an apology. But it was a half-hearted one: he doubled back, suggested his comments were misunderstood, and even argued that in “Islamic states” stricter dress codes support his view. This wasn’t an apology; it was a reinforcement of the very myth he had been criticized for.
When someone with a platform speaks this way, they do more than embarrass themselves. They add weight to an already heavy silence surrounding rape. Survivors who hear these words are less likely to come forward. Perpetrators who hear them feel vindicated. And the national conversation gets pushed further away from real solutions.
What the Numbers Say
The statistics paint a brutal reality. The After Rape Clinic in Harare reports that one in four Zimbabwean women experiences sexual violence after the age of 15. Most of their medical clients are children. These aren’t people walking around in “provocative clothing.” These are girls, often assaulted in homes or by people they know. Blaming clothes is not just false, it’s cruel.
Zimbabwean law criminalizes rape, but gaps in enforcement and protection remain. Conviction rates are low. Survivors often face stigma in their own families or communities. And spousal rape still lacks full statutory recognition, leaving many unprotected. In that environment, victim-blaming does more than mislead; it deepens the impunity of abusers.
Where Prevention Belongs
Real prevention focuses on perpetrators and systems:
- Consent education: Teaching from an early age that only clear, willing, ongoing consent makes sex acceptable.
- Bystander training: Equipping peers to safely interrupt situations before they escalate.
- Accountability: Proper investigations, survivor-sensitive courts, and real consequences for offenders.
- Survivor support: Expanding clinics that provide medical, psychological, and legal aid.
- Responsible speech: Public figures, teachers, pastors, artists, and influencers must model zero tolerance for myths that excuse sexual violence.
The Test We Must Apply
Here’s a simple test: if what you are about to say about rape makes it harder for survivors to speak out, don’t say it. If your words shift focus from an offender’s choice to a survivor’s skirt, you are part of the problem. Prevention lectures belong where they matter most in the ears of those who might otherwise choose to harm.
Rape is wrong. It is always wrong. And Zimbabwe must stop excusing it in whispers, jokes, or social-media lectures that point at skirts instead of pointing at perpetrators.
