19 only US$12,285 – less than 5% - has been paid to date. The amounts were converted at the official exchange rate both at the time the claim was made and when it was awarded. In most of the cases agency was renounced as the women have became demoralized and stop communicating when the legal process does not move at their anticipated pace. The economic factor must also not be understated: clients can no longer afford to come into town as and when they are called by the Human Rights Forum, their roles as wives and mothers also take precedence over seeing these cases concluded. Conclusion There is thus ample evidence that human rights abuses against women are prevalent in Zimbabwe, contradicting the government’s statements that these abuses are exaggerations made by organizations supported by the West. 54 The most severe form of this violence has been sexual violence perpetrated by ZANU(PF) supporters during the 2000-2002 period, motivated partly by the perceived lesser status of women in society and the perceived status that they are part of the male dominion. The extensive disruption and adverse effects of Operation Murambatsvina upon women cannot be overstated. Violence in the form of physical assaults upon women protesting the impact of the policies of the Zimbabwean government is common place, treated as unremarkable by those responsible and encouraged by senior ZANU(PF) politicians. Unsurprisingly, affected women show a high incidence (71%) of clinically significant trauma, often of such a degree as to require psychotropic medication and professional counselling. Clearly the effects of the “complex emergency” are felt more acutely by women in Zimbabwe, particularly those from the lower socio-economic brackets. Accordingly, many of the policies of the Zimbabwean government directly in some instances, and indirectly in others, and actions of ZANU(PF) supporters against women, (often condoned or encouraged by government) may well be considered as legitimate targets for protest by those participating in the annual 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE. 54 The latest being Paul Mangwana the acting minister of State Information who said when asked to comment on the Forum’s statement that they were in possession of material that implicated state agents in human rights abuses. "These organisations are seeking relevance and fresh donor money by bringing back stale issues. We have not committed any human rights violations and our security agents are highly respected worldwide." Zim Online ‘ Group wants Mugabe to pay for rights abuses’, Tuesday 24 October 2006. “A Woman’s Place is in the Home ?” – Gender Based Violence and Opposition Politics in Zimbabwe.