Mukakarangwa, a resident of Nyarugenge District, narrates her story of how her husband abused her in their marriage.
He was very controlling that he never allowed her to work or start up any business, she said. Much as Mukakarangwa wanted to be economically empowered, her husband didn’t want to have any of it. For the sake of their marriage, she listened and gave in to her husband’s demands-to stay home and not seek any means of income.
What happened however was that, on top of refraining her from working, he also started abusing her physically, and that he would often beat her when they got into any conflict.
“I was informally married to my husband and I have been in a de facto marriage with him since 2014, and we have two children. Since 2020, we started having conflicts because he has always been torturing me, beating me, and preventing me from going anywhere. He forced me to stay at home to only take care of the children.
“I continued living that difficult life which later on turned to be worse in August 2022, whereby the beating became often and worse. One day he found me trading where we had a beer store business and beat me very hard. I immediately decided to run away and go to rent on my own,” she recalls.
Later in November 2022, Mukakarangwa was informed by the cell leaders that Haguruka’s legal officer was to come to the cell office. “I was told that I could approach the legal officer and tell her my problem. As soon as Haguruka received and listened to my issue, they invited my husband and they mediated us. My husband apologized to me and agreed in front of the leaders and Haguruka that he will not abuse me anymore. We now live in peace and I am a business woman now,” she narrates.
Through the role of Haguruka, Mukakarangwa was able to save her marriage, her life and her economic status as well.