Minister condemns insults on Siliya

MINISTER of Gender Elizabeth Phiri has condemned the behaviour of University of Zambia (UNZA) students who insulted Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Dora Siliya on Monday. Ms Phiri described the incident as unfortunate and an embarrassment to women as Ms Siliya was not only a politician but a mother and woman who deserved respect. The minister appealed to the youth to apologise to Ms Siliya and the women folk saying there was no justification to their unruly behaviour. She said youths should find better and meaningful ways to dialogue with relevant authorities when they were aggrieved and avoid engaging in violence that disturbed the peace of the nation. Ms Phiri said as a Christian nation, young people should avoid being used as tools to perpetuate violence by selfish individuals whose motive was to destabilise the peace in the nation. The minister stated that emotional, physical and verbal abuse was the main contributing factor to many women shying away from the political affairs of the nation. She called on the women movements to continue advocating for the rights of women and also ensure that women are protected from all sorts of exploitation. Ms Phiri stated that Zambia was a party to local and international treaties aimed at protecting the freedom of movement for any citizen and Ms Siliya had the right to attend any State or social function without hindrance.