By A Correspondent – Chipinge, Zimbabwe — Women in Marange are raising the alarm over what they describe as a double injustice: rivers poisoned by mining operations and curfews enforced by security actors that expose them to harassment and sexual violence.

For generations, rivers in Marange have been the lifeline of rural families, providing water for drinking, farming, and household use. But community members say mining activities have turned these water bodies into toxic streams, leaving families without safe access to water. “The river that once fed our children now burns our skin,” said one member of the Marange Women’s Alliance. “We are denied clean water, and when we try to fetch it, we are denied dignity.”

Residents report that security actors guarding mining sites have imposed curfews restricting movement at night and during early morning hours. Women say these curfews have become a tool of control, with some reporting harassment and sexual abuse when attempting to collect water or travel during restricted times. “A mother cannot choose between thirst and safety,” said Billian Matambo, Team Leader of the Marange Women’s Alliance. “Our daughters are turned back with insults or worse. Our bodies have become checkpoints, and our dignity is stripped by those who claim to protect the mines.”

Programme officers within the Alliance have been compiling testimonies of women affected by mining-related abuses. “We are recording widespread violations in mining areas — from polluted rivers to sexual violence under curfews,” said Blessing Simango, Programme Officer at the Marange Women’s Alliance. “These are not isolated incidents. They are systemic patterns of abuse that strip women of rights, safety, and dignity.”

The Marange Women’s Alliance and the Masvingo Women Rights Advocacy Group (MWRAG) link the environmental destruction to broader human rights violations. Polluted rivers have stripped families of safe drinking water, while curfews and abuses have deepened fear and insecurity. The group is calling for access to clean water free from mining pollution, an end to curfews that restrict women’s movement, accountability for security actors accused of harassment and sexual violence, and recognition of water and safety as basic human rights.

The Alliance insists that women are not victims but defenders of their communities. “We will not stay silent,” their statement reads. “Water is life. Safety is dignity. Rights are non-negotiable.” As Zimbabwe commemorates Human Rights Day, the voices from Marange highlight the intersection of environmental harm and gender-based violence — a reminder that rights are not abstract ideals, but daily struggles for survival.