As part of their investigations to find the artisanal miners who killed two members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) in Bindura, police and soldiers in civilian clothes have detained dozens of prostitutes from the Chipadze and Chiwaridzo neighborhoods.
Lawyers and women’s groups on Tuesday expressed concern over the mass arrest of women suspected to be prostitutes.
The Young Women Institute, in a statement, said it had credible reports that “soldiers… have taken the law into their own hands and have been carrying out unwarranted attacks on women suspected to be sex workers and men suspected to be artisanal miners.”
“We condemn such barbaric violence on the innocent women being harassed. We call for an immediate end to the harassment of civilians, and the abuse of office by the soldiers. They must let the police do their job and allow for the law to take its course,” the Institute said.
