United Family International Church founder Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa, has lamented growing abuse of children saying this had far-reaching repercussions on their future.
Speaking during an emotionally charged service on Sunday, Prophet Makandiwa said it was unfortunate that the trust deposited in loved ones by the children was being abused to hurt them.
"We must protect our children from somebody. We must make sure that somebody does not have access to our children.
"If your child is being abused, he or she is threatened. Never to speak about it to anyone. They are told that if you report I will kill you so they continue abusing the child and the child will be scared to report believing he or she will indeed be killed," he said.
The man of God challenged parents to be alert to the tell-tale signs as children would always use certain behaviour or language to communicate the abuse. It required parents with "an intelligent mind" to notice that something was amiss.
"Some of you don't pay attention to your children. There is a child crying somewhere but we are not paying attention. The child will try to tell you hoping you will figure it out yourself."
It was critical that children be taught and trained on how to report any form of abuse.
Universities and other institutions of higher learning had become centres of gross abuse with politicians and businessmen abusing students.
"So, where do they go? What sort of education are they getting from there?
"There are big people out there including politicians and businessmen that are abusing little children."
Prophet Makandiwa had in the previous two Sundays heard stories of abuse as parents and children narrated their ordeals during the services in a question and answer platform that saw many broken-hearted congregants poured out their experiences.
Some adults narrated how they were abused by their parents as they grew up and how this continued to haunt them. Others spoke of how they had witnessed either their mothers and/or fathers experience abuse from their spouses, a situation that adversely impacted their own marriages.
"People have a lot of stories to tell. Some people are in great pain and it's so terrible. If you belong to a church it means you belong to a covering so the church must cover you," said Prophet Makandiwa.
However, he launched an attack on the body of Christ in Zimbabwe and elsewhere for failing to provide the sanctuary that victims of abuse desperately needed, saying that more than 70 percent of pastors who had come to him confessed to abusing congregants.
"The issue of abuse has to be corrected. As the body of Christ we play a very significant role in bringing about that change. People that are close to us must feel safe and protected because the house of God is a shelter, the house of The Lord is a strong tower.
"However, there is a lot of injustice and unfairness in the body of Christ where we have people going under serious abuse. We have men of God abusing their members and they all say they can't stop doing it.
"What sort of men of God are our children going to have?"
Prophet Makandiwa urged Government to intervene.
"I have never supported Government to interfere in church business but if things are going this far, then we need help. Let them (Government) see how we worship. Somebody needs protection because some of us men of God if you don't arrest us . . . the majority of us are so stupid and they also attract stupid people," he quipped.
He said in this country various forms of abuse had become widespread in companies, churches, schools, beer halls and homes. It was incumbent upon everyone to put a stop to the menace.
He also did not have kind words for homosexuals whom he said were abusive of God's order of things.
"Homosexuality and lesbianism is simply a spirit of abuse. Bestiality is a spirit of confusion.
You even find people getting married to dolls or robots. People out there spend lots of money to change their sex when we have people in Africa dying because there are no resources. As the Church, let's fight for what is right," said Prophet Makandiwa. The Herald (Harare)
Speaking during an emotionally charged service on Sunday, Prophet Makandiwa said it was unfortunate that the trust deposited in loved ones by the children was being abused to hurt them.
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| Prophet Makandiwa Decries Surge in Child Abuse. |
"If your child is being abused, he or she is threatened. Never to speak about it to anyone. They are told that if you report I will kill you so they continue abusing the child and the child will be scared to report believing he or she will indeed be killed," he said.
The man of God challenged parents to be alert to the tell-tale signs as children would always use certain behaviour or language to communicate the abuse. It required parents with "an intelligent mind" to notice that something was amiss.
"Some of you don't pay attention to your children. There is a child crying somewhere but we are not paying attention. The child will try to tell you hoping you will figure it out yourself."
It was critical that children be taught and trained on how to report any form of abuse.
Universities and other institutions of higher learning had become centres of gross abuse with politicians and businessmen abusing students.
"So, where do they go? What sort of education are they getting from there?
"There are big people out there including politicians and businessmen that are abusing little children."
Prophet Makandiwa had in the previous two Sundays heard stories of abuse as parents and children narrated their ordeals during the services in a question and answer platform that saw many broken-hearted congregants poured out their experiences.
Some adults narrated how they were abused by their parents as they grew up and how this continued to haunt them. Others spoke of how they had witnessed either their mothers and/or fathers experience abuse from their spouses, a situation that adversely impacted their own marriages.
"People have a lot of stories to tell. Some people are in great pain and it's so terrible. If you belong to a church it means you belong to a covering so the church must cover you," said Prophet Makandiwa.
However, he launched an attack on the body of Christ in Zimbabwe and elsewhere for failing to provide the sanctuary that victims of abuse desperately needed, saying that more than 70 percent of pastors who had come to him confessed to abusing congregants.
"The issue of abuse has to be corrected. As the body of Christ we play a very significant role in bringing about that change. People that are close to us must feel safe and protected because the house of God is a shelter, the house of The Lord is a strong tower.
"However, there is a lot of injustice and unfairness in the body of Christ where we have people going under serious abuse. We have men of God abusing their members and they all say they can't stop doing it.
"What sort of men of God are our children going to have?"
Prophet Makandiwa urged Government to intervene.
"I have never supported Government to interfere in church business but if things are going this far, then we need help. Let them (Government) see how we worship. Somebody needs protection because some of us men of God if you don't arrest us . . . the majority of us are so stupid and they also attract stupid people," he quipped.
He said in this country various forms of abuse had become widespread in companies, churches, schools, beer halls and homes. It was incumbent upon everyone to put a stop to the menace.
He also did not have kind words for homosexuals whom he said were abusive of God's order of things.
"Homosexuality and lesbianism is simply a spirit of abuse. Bestiality is a spirit of confusion.
You even find people getting married to dolls or robots. People out there spend lots of money to change their sex when we have people in Africa dying because there are no resources. As the Church, let's fight for what is right," said Prophet Makandiwa. The Herald (Harare)
