When the Bible is misinterpreted to perpetrate gender based violence

By Clayton Masekesa

MARANGE – Maria (Not her real name) had higher hopes of getting her dream job as an Air Hostess and marrying a husband of her choice. But, unfortunately her dreams were turned into nightmares when she reached 12 years old.

Being a member from the Johanne Marange Apostolic church, Maria was married off at the age of 12 in 2013, when a certain ‘prophet’ aged 34 in the church had claimed that he had been shown in dreams to marry her.

With reference to 1 Peter 3:1-7: “Wives be ruled by your husbands, so that even if some of them give no attention to the word, their hearts may be changed by the behavior of their wives….”

Human rights observers have said some apostolic church sects have twisted the verse and come up with suppressing principles where young girls are forced and threatened with fake doctrines of dreams from old men, prophets and church leaders proclaiming to have been shown in dreams young women and girls to marry for their selfish reasons.

“The verse is for both the man and woman to love, respect, care and appreciate each other. Submissiveness in this case, does not mean that a woman should tolerate ill treatment against her will,” said Farai Mukombachoto, a human rights activist.

For young Maria who has two sons, life for her has been hell, as she has been enduring a life characterized by gender based violence.

Maria is the last wife in a marriage that has eight wives.

Investigations conducted by this publication recently, have revealed that young girls at Johanne Marange Apostolic church have been made subject to abuse and go through undesirable submission to decisions made for them by religious leaders and their family members.

“I was married off to an older man against my wish. I am not even enjoying this marriage. My dream was to have a job as an Air Hostess. I also wanted to be married by a husband whom l love and not to have a husband imposed on me,” narrated Maria with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Because we are in remote areas, information here is interpreted wrongly. The church leaders are saying the government knows about our church doctrines for years and it cannot do anything about it,” she said.

Hundreds of young girls are in the same predicament.

Investigations have revealed that the church also forbids the girls to be married by other men and boys from other churches ,marriages with non-members of the church is referred to as unholy union and anyone who decides to marry outside the church is expelled from the church.

Research has also exposed that young girls within the church are forced to drop school and become wives at a tender age, leaving their future and careers in shambles, as a result of their parent’s greediness and doctrines.

Further inquiries indicated that only men in Johanne Marange decide who to take for a wife or reject as at when they feel. They are the ones who decide on family planning and they have ruled that their females should not access public health medical care and access to the females’ education is not guaranteed.

In an interview, a social scientist Marshal Mahove said apostolic churches should desist from any form of gender based violence.

“Gender based violence has remained as the biggest challenge and threat in many women and girls lives from the apostolic churches and it has proved to be the obstacle to the social and economic development of the communities,” he said.

“The religion of Johanne Marange uses exploitation and abuse of children; women and girls are also other reasons for the practice but people hide behind the Bible and its doctrines,” commented Mahove.

Just like in the cultural perspective, most apostolic churches today provide a hidden haven for gender based violence and condone it by misunderstanding the Bible.

This reporter gathered that even though a large number of the church members were indicating that there are a lot of cases of gender based violence in their church, they also believed that all these abusive doctrines were part of the Bible’s plan to help a woman submit to her husband.

“It is not easy to let everyone out there know what is happening in your marriage. As a trained wife you are trained to submit to your husband and not to let the whole community know what is happening to you in your marriage or in your home, so in some cases you will just be quite towards violence because you believe that its part of marriage,” said a church authority who is in charge of the training of young wives and serves as mid-wife in the church.

Popular prophet and leader of Johanne The Fifth of Africa International Church, Andby Makururu said he was aware about gender based violence in apostolic churches in Zimbabwe.

“Some of our church members are still not well empowered and educated about the rights of the girl child and also on policies that protect women and girls that are being implemented daily by the government,” said Makururu.

“It is very important that l should meet and talk with the church authorities so that we can discuss this important issue,” he said.

“My church is complementing efforts by the government and stakeholders in fighting child marriages. I want to meet the leaders of the apostolic churches because they are the ones who can control the members from their churches in perpetuating gender based violence,” said the popular prophet.

While there is no updated information gathered from the Police, a community leader, Joseph Marange, indicated that gender based violence is a norm within the church.

“We have received and seen a man abusing his wives because he is the head of the family. Their doctrine does not recognize the decision of a female counterpart. Even if a man decides to get a new wife he does not consult any of his wives, he is the head of the family who decides the fate of the family,” said Marange.

Rutendo Mudimu, a Programmes Officer at Shamwari Yemwanasikana, said the organization envisioned a nation where the rights of the girl child are respected and promoted.

“We are empowering girls and young women to be active agents of their own development. We are paying special attention to the fight against gender based violence in apostolic sects. We are also conducting strategized engagements with community members, gatekeepers, institutions and duty bearers,” said Mudimu.

“The organization conducts dialogues with members of different apostolic sects in a bid to raise awareness on gender based violence and its negative effects, paying special attention to child marriages,” she said adding that the engagements are mainly conducted in partnership with other organizations such as Ruvheneko Rwenyenyedzi Trust.

Mudimu said girls from apostolic sects are part of their girls club called Dandaro Revasikana where there is social skills training, education of girls on their rights, capacitating them to be advocates for the respect and promotion of these rights.
“These platforms provide safe spaces for girls to explore challenges and possible solutions. Thus, capacitating them to be change makers, speaking against gender based violence as well as whistle blowing and reporting cases utilizing the existing reporting mechanisms,” she said.

In a previous interview before his death in April, the leader of Johanne Marange Apostolic church, Noah Taguta Momberume said: “It is very difficult to refer that in our church towards our girls and our women or wives as gendered violence. If any church member is quarreling with his wives or fighting we are here to counsel them in a religious way, our doctrine encourages women to respect their husbands and to submit to them.”

It has been recommended that the apostolic churches should have rehabilitation activities for victims of gender based violence.

Mukombachoto said the church must report perpetrators of gender based violence for legal advice and to the police.
“In addition to this, there must be more training programmes in multi-faith approach to fuse in and share ideas on issues which constitute Gender Based Violence,” he said.

While cases of gender based violence and abuse of women’s rights have been going on for a long time at the Johanne Marange Apostolic church, among other apostolic sects, a typical case came out in August last year when Hatirarami Momberume (26), a Johanne Marange Apostolic church member made headlines for fathering a 14 year old girl who died while giving birth.
The 14-year-old, Anna Machaya, died on July 15 while giving birth at
the church’s shrine in Bocha in Marange area.

The girl was allegedly denied medical assistance by leaders of the
apostolic sect because of their church beliefs that bars them from
receiving any medication.

She finally succumbed to complications from the incident. She had given birth to a baby boy.

Momberume who is facing rape and murder charges was released on bail by the Mutare High Court and is reportedly on the run.