By Daniel Zimba:
In a small, dimly lit room of a modest dwelling, the air is thick with unspoken pain and the remnants of a shattered childhood.
Eight-year-old Jane (not real name), once a vibrant girl with dreams of becoming a doctor, now sits quietly in the corner, clutching a tattered mat as if it were her only link to innocence.
The tragic reality weighs heavily on her family, who find themselves grappling with trauma, loss and an overwhelming sense of stigma.
Jane is always alone in her father’s house, lacking courage and confidence to go and associate with peers in the community.
It all happened on the evening of March 15, 2025, when life changed forever for Jane and her family.
As the sun dipped behind the horizon, casting shadows over the small residential neighbourhood at Zingwangwa Township in Blantyre, Jane was left alone at home while her parents were out working to provide for the family.
SEKANI—I was surprised to see blood stains in her pants
Her father, James (not real name), a night guard, and her mother Sekani (not real name), a piece worker, had no idea that their daughter would fall victim to the horrific act of a man, suspected to be from the same community.
“That day, I was tired after work. I just wanted to come home and see my daughters,” Jane’s mother, Sekani, recalls, her voice trembling as she wipes away tears.
“When I got back, Jane was not herself. She wouldn’t talk; she just sat in her room,” Sekani said.
The truth erupted when Sekani noticed signs of distress in Jane’s behaviour—the withdrawn looks, the instances of apparent fear whenever someone approached her.
“As such, I wanted to bathe her and I noticed that she was not comfortable to be touched. I insisted. When I undressed her, I was surprised to see blood stains in her pants. All she could do was to cry, without saying anything regarding what happened,” Sekani said.
“Then I approached female elders in the community who, after talking to her, advised me to take the matter to the local authorities without actually disclosing what they heard from my daughter. That same night, I approached community policing officers, who interrogated her in my absence. She explained what happened to her,” Sekani said.
It is alleged that Jane endured defilement at the hands of a 37-year-old [name withheld], such that the case is in court.
With each word, Sekani felt anger, pain and turmoil, compounded by the unbearable weight of social stigma.
According to Sekani, the little girl continues to bleed, a month after the incident, such that she is being treated at home.
In a society where victims are often shamed rather than supported, Jane’s family faced isolation and whispered judgements from neighbours, who blamed Sekani for what happened to her daughter.
The malicious glances and hushed conversations turned th
