Abstract
Citizenship includes the ways in which people belong to society, a nation-state, political society, and local community. Disabled women are commonly discriminated against on the grounds of disability; hence, they are often denied access to opportunities that enable them to enjoy equal citizenship rights with their non-disabled counterparts. In this chapter, we draw on the lens of sexuality, to illuminate the obscurity that surrounds the notion of citizenship in so far as it relates to disabled women in Zimbabwe. Contrary to the reality that all human beings are sexual, society often disregards the sexuality of disabled women, and in instances where it is acknowledged, it is often by persons who perpetrate sexual violence against disabled women, to the detriment of their health and well-being.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Amnesty International. (2004). Amnesty international report. London: Amnesty International Publications.
Basson, R. (1998). Sexual health of women with disabilities. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 15(4), 359. Retrieved from http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC1229598&blobtype=pdf. Accessed 20 Nov 2017.
Biblica, I. (2011). Holy Bible, new international version (NIV). Michigan: IncZondervan.
Boylan, E. (1991). Women and disability. London: Zed Books.
Chabata, T. (2012). The commercialisation of lobola in contemporary Zimbabwe: A double-edged sword for women. BUWA! A Journal on African Women’s Experiences, 2(1), 70–74. Retrieved from http://www.osisa.org/buwa/zimbabwe/commercialisation-lobola-contemporary-zimbabwe-double-edged-sword-women. Accessed 3 May 2013.
Chavhunduka, G. L. (1998). The professionalization of traditional medicine in Zimbabwe. Harare: ZINATHA.
Chingandu, L. (2005). Multiple concurrent partnerships: The story of Zimbabwe – Are small houses a key driver? Retrieved from http://archive.kubatana.net/docs/hivaid/safaids_small_houses_070612.pdf. Accessed 28 Feb 2014.
Chireshe, E., & Chireshe, R. (2010). Lobola: The perceptions of great Zimbabwe university students. Journal of Pan African Studies, 3(9), 211–221. Retrieved from http://www.biomedsearch.com/article/Lobola-perceptions-Great-Zimbabwe-University/306596742.html. Accessed 22 Feb 2015.
Choruma, T. (2007). The forgotten tribe: People with disabilities in Zimbabwe. London: Progressio.
Dangarembga, T. (1988). Nervous conditions. London: Women’s Press.
Dotson, L. A., Stinson, J., & Christian, L. (2003). People tell me I can’t have sex: Women with disabilities share their personal perspectives on health care, sexuality and reproductive rights. In M. E. Banks & E. Kaschak (Eds.), Women with visible and invisible disabilities, multiple intersections, multiple issues, multiple therapies (pp. 490–507). New York: The Harworth Press, Inc.
Gonda, V. (2013). Transcript: Zimbabwe’s controversial marriage laws. Retrieved from http://www.voazimbabwe.com/content/zimbabwes-controversial-marriage-laws-prime-minister/1576636.html. Accessed 20 Aug 2015.
Government of Zimbabwe. (1964). Marriages Act, 81. Retrieved from https://cyber.harvard.edu/population/zimbabwe/marriage.htm. Accessed 29 Sep 2014.
Groce, N. E., & Trasi, R. (2004). Rape of individuals with disability: AIDS and the folk belief of virgin cleansing. The Lancet, 363(9422), 1663–1664. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16288-0.
Hanass-Hancock, J. (2009a). Disability and HIV/AIDS – A systematic review of literature on Africa. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 12(34), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1758-2652-12-34.
Hanass-Hancock, J. (2009b). Interweaving conceptualizations of gender and disability in the context of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Sexuality and Disability, 27, 35–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-008-9105-9.
Haram, L. (2005). AIDS and risk: The handling of uncertainty in Northern Tanzania. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 7(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691050410001680500.
Izugbara, C., & Undie, C. (2008). Who owns the body? Indigenous African discourses of the body and contemporary sexual rights rhetoric. Reproductive Health Matters, 16(31), 159–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0968-8080(08)31344-5.
Kalichman, S. C., Williams, E. A., Cherry, C., Belcher, L., & Nachimson, D. (1998). Sexual coercion, domestic violence, and negotiating condom use among low-income African American women. Journal of Women’s Health, 7(3), 371–378. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.1998.7.371.
Kelly, J. A. (2004). Popular opinion leaders and HIV prevention peer education: Resolving discrepant findings, and implications for the development of effective community programmes. AIDS Care, 16(2), 139–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540120410001640986.
Kwaramba, F. (2011). Traditional practices put women at HIV risk. Retrieved from http://www.thezimbabwean.co/2011/09/traditional-practices-put-women-at/. Accessed 11 Jan 2014.
Lister, R. (1997). Citizenship: Towards a feminist synthesis. Feminist Review, 57, 28–48.
Living Zimbabwe. (2008). The small house syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.livingzimbabwe.com/the-small-house-syndrome. Accessed 16 Aug 2015.
Loutzenheiser, L. W., & MacIntosh, L. B. (2004). Citizenships, sexualities and education. Theory Into Practice, 43(2), 151–158.
Mpofu, E., & Harley, D. A. (2002). Disability and rehabilitation in Zimbabwe: Lessons and implications for rehabilitation practice in the US. Journal of Rehabilitation, 68(4), 26–33.
Reid, G., & Walker, L. (2005). Sex and secrecy: A focus on African sexualities. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 7(3), 185–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691050412331334353.
Russo, N. F., & Pirlott, A. (2006). Gender-based violence. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1087(1), 178–205. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1385.024.
Tamale, S. (2011). African sexualities: A reader. Oxford: Pambazuka Press.
The Independent. (2012). Rape victim forced to marry attackers in Morocco. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rape-victim-forced-to-marry-attacker-in-morocco-7574174.html. Accessed 14 Aug 2015.
Thomas, C. (2001). Medicine, gender, and disability: Disabled women’s health care encounters. Health Care for Women International, 22(3), 245–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/073993301300357188.
Thomas, C. (2006). Disability and gender: Reflections on theory and research. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 8(2–3), 177–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/15017410600731368.
Thomas, C., & Curtis, P. (1997). Having a baby: Some disabled women’s reproductive experiences. Midwifery, 13(4), 202–209.
Tjaden, P. G., & Thoennes, N. (2006). Extent, nature, and consequences of rape victimization: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.
Wazakili, M., Mpofu, R., & Devlieger, P. (2006). Experiences and perceptions of sexuality and HIV/AIDS among young people with physical disabilities in a South African township: A case study. Sexuality and Disability, 24(2), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-006-9006-8.
Wilkerson, A. (2011). Disability, sex radicalism and political agency. In K. Hall (Ed.), Feminist disability studies (pp. 194–217). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Wood, K., & Jewkes, R. (1997). Violence, rape, and sexual coercion: Everyday love in a South African township: An overview. Gender and Development, 5(2), 41–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/741922353.
Zinanga, E. (1996). Sexuality, identity and change. Southern Africa Feminist Review, 2(1), 3–6.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Peta, C., McKenzie, J. (2019). Bodies (Im)politic: The Experiences of Sexuality of Disabled Women in Zimbabwe. In: Watermeyer, B., McKenzie, J., Swartz, L. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Disability and Citizenship in the Global South. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74675-3_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74675-3_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74674-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74675-3
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)