Health and Environment<\/p>\n\n\n\n
HARARE \u2013 The Adult Rape Clinic (ARC) has issued a urgent call for all survivors of sexual assault to seek medical attention within a critical 72-hour window, regardless of their age, gender, or circumstance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This timeframe is vital for the prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unwanted pregnancies. It also allows for a forensic examination that can be crucial for any future legal proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite its name, the clinic provides comprehensive, confidential care to survivors of all ages, including children and adolescents. The director, Ms. Mukwamba, emphasized the organization’s inclusive, survivor-centred mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are here for every survivor,\u201d Ms. Mukwamba stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhether you are eight or 80, male or female, our doors are open, and our services are tailored to meet your needs with dignity and compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The clinic highlighted that early intervention addresses both severe physical and psychological consequences, which can include chronic pain, reproductive health issues, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Survivors who present within 72 hours can access emergency contraception, HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), STI treatment, and forensic documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those unable to report immediately, ARC offers extensive long-term mental health support. These services include individual psychotherapy, family and group therapy, and specialized intimate partner support counselling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHealing is not linear,\u201d said Mutare-based ARC psychologist Ms. B Shayamano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut it is possible, and no one should walk that path alone when ARC is ready to offer support throughout the healing journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The organisation also directly addressed and challenged the harmful stereotypes and stigma that often prevent male survivors from seeking help, noting that patriarchal norms wrongly frame sexual violence as exclusively a \u201cwomen\u2019s issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe believe you. And we are here for you,\u201d Ms. Mukwamba affirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSexual violence affects everyone. ARC stands against the silence and shame that patriarchy imposes on male survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ARC is calling on communities, leaders, and families to support survivors in accessing timely care and to help foster environments where healing is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Health and Environment HARARE \u2013 The Adult Rape Clinic (ARC) has issued a urgent call for all survivors of sexual assault to seek medical attention within a critical 72-hour window,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[126],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8351"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8353,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8351\/revisions\/8353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}