She was denied a legal abortion and sent to prison over an illegal one. Now she tells her story

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — He says he’s been disappointed every step of the way. By a partner who left her while she was pregnant. By a health service that denies you your legal rights abortion. And by the justice system that sent her to a maximum security prison for illegally terminating her pregnancy on her own.

Violet Zulu, house cleaner Zambia The $40-a-month earner was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2024 after representing himself in court with little understanding of the consequences of his actions. He has not been able to see either his two children or other family members for nearly two years.

Zulu was released last month after news of his case reached international rights groups, which helped him appeal. Activists say she represents many women in Africa who make desperate decisions when faced with barriers to legal abortion services.

His story has generated little sympathy in the Southern African country where some segments of society live. view abortion harshly Her own mother also said that she accepted her daughter’s prison sentence, but that this sentence should be shorter.

Zulu spoke to The Associated Press as she was putting her life back together at age 26.

moved away from care

She said she first tried to access legal abortion services at a public clinic, which was supposed to give her advice or services, but they turned her away. He then went to a private pharmacy and demanded 800 Zambian kwacha ($43), a month’s salary, for the abortion pills.

She was already struggling to feed her two young sons and sometimes had to beg for food from relatives.

He said that his decision to drink the herbal mixture he prepared, which is known to terminate pregnancies, stemmed from desperation. If he had another child, he could not bear to see his sons eat even less.

“I never wanted to abort my pregnancy, but circumstances at home forced me to do so,” Zulu said in an interview in the two-room rental house without running water that she shares with her children and parents. he said.

“I was scared (when I drank the mixture), but I didn’t really care what would happen to me,” he added.

In his statement in court, he described what happened next as follows: He delivered the fetus in the toilet, put it in a sack and threw it into a nearby stream. He said he trusted a friend, but word spread and neighbors reported him to the police.

Zulu, who dropped out of school in the eighth grade, was never offered free legal advice, although he had the right to request it. She represented herself in court and pleaded guilty to facilitating her own abortion. She said she did not understand the legality of abortion and thought she would receive a warning.

A system that is failing

“This is a system that failed Violet,” said Rosemary Kirui, African legal counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights, an abortion rights group that campaigned for Zulu’s release and helped her appeal. “It’s not that he hasn’t tried. It’s not that he can’t afford the services, but as a Zambian citizen he still needs to be able to access those services.”

Sharon Williams, country director of advocacy group Women and Law in Southern Africa, said Zulu should have the right to free abortions under a provision that allows doctors in Zambia to consider risks to the welfare of their existing children.

But Zulu were unaware of this, largely due to the secrecy, stigma and shame surrounding abortion, which is not advertised by Zambia’s public health system.

Zambia’s health ministry did not respond to questions about his case.

Part of the problem, Williams said, is that Zambia legalizes abortion while also defining itself as a strongly Christian country in its constitution.

Abortion is still highly restricted in Africa; Few countries allow abortions for reasons other than threats to the health of the mother or fetus. Even in countries like Zambia religious beliefsConservative values ​​from local cultures or a lack of knowledge make access to legal procedures difficult, according to health and rights groups.

Williams said Zulu’s case should spark a national debate about whether Zambian authorities should better educate communities about the legal right to abortion.

“I think now that we’ve made that decision, we’re ready to talk,” he said.

Desperate women, unsafe abortions

Activists say desperate women are turning to unsafe abortions. Africa and Latin America have the highest rates, with approximately 75 percent of all abortions in Africa considered unsafe, according to the World Health Organization.

The health rights organization Guttmacher Institute estimated in a 2019 report that more than 6 million unsafe abortions occur annually in sub-Saharan Africa. He noted that Zambia’s abortion law “tends to be a ‘law on paper’ rather than a law that ensures widespread access.”

Abortion has been legal for nearly 30 years in South Africa, which claims to have the most progressive laws on the continent. It is allowed on request before the 13th week of pregnancy and before the 21st week for various reasons.

But studies estimate that only 7% of public health facilities here offer abortion services.

In 2023, a case in which a 14-year-old child was denied an abortion three times by South African healthcare professionals for unsubstantiated reasons prompted a national reality check. After an emergency hearing, the judge decided to allow the girl to have an abortion, and the abortion was performed on the last legally available day.

A representative of the social justice group representing the girl at the time said South Africa’s abortion laws were undermined by “misuse of medical information by health professionals” in trying to prevent abortions.

In Zambia, Zulu said he still felt bad about what he did, but now he had to provide for his sons. He said he was looking for a job again.

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Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.

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