I n s t i t u t e fo r j us t i ce a n d r eco n ci l iat i o n a fr i c a pr o g r a m m e social stigma that would result if she did (Osirim, 2001). In some cases, the wife is blamed for the disappearance or for bringing bad luck to the family. As one woman lawyer said: The family also sees the wife whose husband has disappeared in a different way. In many cases, the family members suspect her in many ways. Even when she is busy searching for her husband she is accused of having gone for something else. There are even mothers-in-law who suspect that the daughter-in-law has other boyfriends who are responsible for the disappearance. Economically, the woman may be perceived as bringing nothing to the family yet being another mouth to feed, therefore a burden. (Interview, 22 May 2011) The net result of this web of obligation and resentment can be an environment of extreme difficulty for such women. One extreme example of the crisis of identity and vulnerability that such women face was a situation in which a father-in-law sought to abuse the woman sexually and take her as a second wife. These crises of identity and stigmatisation can also have an impact on communities. Generally, in Zimbabwe traditional cultures have relative respect for widows, but women whose husbands are abducted and disappeared are stigmatised because they cannot adopt the status of widows. A number of women argued that unless the state authorities give proper answers regarding political disappearances there is no resolution to the ambiguity of these women’s status in society. The need for transformation in the education and the security sectors The first line of defence against patriarchy is early education and socialisation that models more appropriate behaviour in the first few years of a child’s life. An early consciousness of sharing, equal and respectful relations between genders is likely to create adults who are more conscious and discouraging of male-dominated hierarchies. The state has an obligation to create an education system that forges a citizenship that is averse to misogyny. Similarly, the state has an obligation to provide state and human security through democratic governance, respect for the rule of law and human rights (Chitiyo, 2009). The women who participated in this research regarded education and advocacy around preventing abuse and enhancing women’s equality as critical. These women also noted the need for reform with regard to personnel in the justice system, including the police and the military. They emphasised the need for security-sector reform through institutional restructuring, in-service training and education on transformative justice. Women cited outdated and insensitive remarks, actions and attitudes of some police officers, lawyers, judges and other professionals in the judicial system as sufficient evidence of the need for retraining and reform. They felt that mandatory education on what constitutes abuse, gender justice, gender-sensitive transitional justice, women’s equality and cultural sensitivity was needed. Some respondents called for greater female representation among senior police officers, lawyers, magistrates and judges as part of the reform package. Others expressed a wish for holistic transformation in the education and judiciary sectors, including curriculum reform so that these systems become responsive to reforms taking place in other sectors. 18 IJR Zimbabwe Womens needs OP proof 2.indd 18 7/16/2012 11:01:31 AM