Women’s Access to Potable Water and Sanitation as a Human Right: A Case Study of Alaska and Shackleton Settlements in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe

Katsande, Rosalie K. (2006) Women’s Access to Potable Water and Sanitation as a Human Right: A Case Study of Alaska and Shackleton Settlements in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. Masters thesis, Univerisity of Zimbabwe.

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Abstract

‘We get up in the morning, we flush, we brush, we shower and even before we put our clothes on for the day, we have consumed more water than a family in the developing world is able to use for all their needs for the day, cleaning, cooking and drinking’ (Calaguas and Roaf, 2001). My first visit to Shackleton community was quite revealing. It was on a Thursday around 1100 hours. The purpose of the visit was to identify key respondents for my study on women’s access to potable water and basic sanitation, as well as to introduce myself to the community through the community leaders, that is, the local councillor and the chairperson of the ruling party (ZANU PF) in the ward. On my way out of the community, I saw a crowd surrounding a house. From a distance I could tell something was going on. As I got closer I heard a woman’s screams. She was screaming on top of her voice pleading for forgiveness, vowing that the mistake was never to be repeated. Being a stranger to the community, I kept my distance but I could clearly see her being humiliated in public. I could see the strong arms of the man descending on her, I could see the crowd just standing and watching, no one making an effort to intervene. I saw young children running around, excited by what was going on. Judging by their excitement, I am sure they believed that it is normal for a man to beat a woman. The beatings only stopped when the councillor heard the noise and came to investigate. He cautioned the man to stop assaulting the woman. I took a mental note of the house and left. It was only after a couple of days that I managed to talk to the woman. I learnt that the man who was beating her was her husband. The husband had gone fishing the previous night and when he came back in the morning no meals had been prepared for him nor was there water for him to use for his fish business. The woman said she had failed to go to the well to collect water as she was not feeling well; her fragile body could no longer stand the strain of carrying a twenty litre bucket. She said she was getting used to the assaults and that her husband never believed her when she said she was not feeling well. In a weak voice, she narrated how easily accessible water used to be and how gradually it disappeared from their taps. She explained how for the past three years they had been struggling to get water. She couldn’t believe that things could change so fast. In her opinion, she was not the only one in this predicament. She believed many other women were suffering the same abuse. Accessing water was a real challenge, moreso if one’s health was compromised.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	K Law > K Law (General)
Divisions:	Africana
Depositing User:	JHI Africa
Date Deposited:	27 May 2016 14:11
Last Modified:	23 May 2018 08:34
URI:	http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/366

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