The number of children who are victims of sex crimes has been increasing in Zimbabwe. Dr. Robert-Grey Choto, who counsels children of these crimes, says that at his clinic alone there have been over 70,000 cases in the last 10 years, and 29,000 of those have been in the last 4 years. Despite this huge number of victims, he fears that hundreds of thousands of cases of child sex abuse are going unreported. Victims could fear stigmatization and huge medical costs that don't necessarily exist. Many clinics offer free counseling and treatment to victims of sexual abuse. The father of Lewis, a 12-year-old victim, said that "This is unbearable, all I want is justice for now." Finally more clinics are being opened, which could give children a new life, even if they've contracted HIV. Once the victims have been taken care of, the country can focus more on this much-needed justice.
Hannah Zimmerman
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