 kugara/kugarwa nhaka/ukungenwa (widow inheritance) which nowadays has become a clandestine affair in which brothers of the deceased approach the widow, without other relatives’ knowledge and approval and asks for sex also opens doors for women’s abuse.  Roora/amalobolo (bridal price/lobola) in particular the commercialisation of it with many families demanding exorbitant sums of money or material goods was also seen as a factor leading to the rape of women in marriages. Once lobola has been paid, there are expectations for a woman to agree to everything that the man wants, including sex with her husband when he wants it, this reduces the woman’s ability to negotiate for sex leading to marital rape  kupisa guva/umbuyiso, although rarely practised was identified as another factor leading to girls’ rape. Under this practise all the girls in a family are taken to the river for virginity testing after their father’s death. The mere act of another human being, male or female inserting their hands into the sexual organs of the girls without the girls’ consent, constitutes sexual abuse.  un’anga/inyanga (traditional healing), nowadays, the solution given by witchdoctors’ to their clients that sleeping with virgins or young girls cures HIV/AIDS is one of the main causes of the rape of children as young as three years. 4.3.2 Religious practices The respondents also pointed to religious practices such as early marriages (kuzvarirwakuroodzwa/ukuzalelwa) among the Apostolic Sects (Johane Masowe orJohane Marange), forced marriages, false prophecies, and dreams in the apostolic faith about who should become whose wife or that sex can be used for healing HIV/AIDS, and the religious teaching for women to be submissive as factors that increase women’s chances of getting raped. 4.3.3 The dangers of the extended family Outside these common practices, the respondents gave some interesting examples of practices that are part of traditional existence, centred in the definition of family to include not only the core family but also the extended family and the whole village. Ordinarily such practices should not be perceived as harmful. However, due to the social disruption and moral decay that has pervaded society, the continuation of such practices exposes people, in particular children, to sexual abuse. Amongst such practices was the practice of entrusting children/ minors into the care of the extended family or neighbours. 4.3.4 Lifestyle and personal habits Some of the examples given by the respondents can only be explicable within the context of harmful cultural practices to the extent that they bring harm to the individuals who practise them. They are not really cultural or societal norms, but rather individuals’ personal habits and lifestyle. These habits included pole dancing, the use of body enhancers such as appetito tablets, going to a club at night (especially among teenagers), women walking alone in dark places, getting drunk in a pub, and wearing revealing clothes.