78 Zvobgo and Dziva/African Women’s Rights Protocol in Zimbabwe rampant gender based violence in society.93 About 68 per cent of women interviewed by Gender Links revealed how women experience some form of violence at least once in their lifetime, while 46 per cent of men confirmed to having perpetrated some form of violence against women.94 Zimbabwe is also known for violent politics and elections that leave a trail of psychological scars to candidates and electorate.95 Women activists are not spared of these skirmishes. In her book, Jestina Mukoko narrates her ordeal when she was kidnapped and tortured for the work of her civil society organisation.96 Several studies documented how women have been victims of politically-motivated violence that flare up in each electoral cycle.97 During the 2008 elections, estimates have it that 36 000 people were internally displaced, while 5 000 people were beaten and tortured, and 200 people were killed.98 The short-term consequence of this experience was that women did not turn out to vote in the 2008 run-off election, while the long term effect remains the fact that women despise politics and elections as synonymous with violence. Similarly, women partaking in public life, especially as candidates continue to be despised and to be subjected to acerbic verbal attacks by men and fellow women. This stems from entrenched societal norms which view the public sphere as a male domain. The verbal attacks are not simply targeted at the candidate’s ideas, but often rounds on her person, on how many children she has outside marriage, on her singlemotherhood status, on the alleged numbers of her sexual partners, real or imagined.99 Verbal abuse remains one of the most pervasive women’s rights violations and men use it to keep women in subordinate roles.100 This character assassination against women results in many of them losing confidence, self-esteem and being discouraged to participate in public life. 93 M Machisa & S Chingamuka (eds) Peace begins at home: violence against women (VAW) baseline study Zimbabwe (Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development and Gender Links 2013). 94 Machisa & S Chingamuka (n 93 above). 95 T Murithi & A Mawadza (eds) Zimbabwe in transition: a view from within (Institute of Justice and Reconciliation: Cape Town 2911); N Mushonga ‘A case study of gender and security sector reform in Zimbabwe’ (2005) 24 African Security Review 4 430-437. 96 Jestina Mukoko, an award winning peace and human rights campaigner from Zimbabwe, who won the many awards, including the United States Secretary of the State Women of Courage Award was abducted from her home in Norton, Zimbabwe on 3 December 2008 by plain clothed security agents for the activities of the organisation she worked with, the Zimbabwe Peace Project. See also J Mukoko The abduction and trial of Jestina Mukoko: the fight for human rights in Zimbabwe (2016). 97 Research and Advocacy Unit ‘When the going gets tough the man gets going! Zimbabwean Women’s views on Politics, Governance, Political Violence, and Transitional Justice’ 2010; Embassy of the United States ‘Human Rights Report 2011: Zimbabwe’ http://harare.usembassy.gov/human_rights_report_2011.html (accessed 16 June 2017); Mushonga (n 95 above). 98 Embassy of the United States (n 97 above). 99 A Magaisa ‘Politics and prejudice: plight of Zimbabwean women’ 2009 http:// www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/magaisa94.18710.html (accessed 20 June 2013). 100 Gender Links (n 14 above).