Rising gender-based cases worry Govt
GOVERNMENT says that it is disturbing to note that cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), which include child defilement, are on the rise in the country.
Southern Province Minister Edify Hamukale has observed that this is notwithstanding many interventions being undertaken by the government and the private sector to mitigate the vice.
Dr Hamukale said worse still, a lot of GBV cases including child abuse are either not reported or reported and then withdrawn from police by complainants.
The minister said, according to statistics released by Zambia Police at the beginning of this month, Zambia recorded 583 of child defilement cases during the second quarter of 2019 of which 10 cases were boys and 573 were girls.
Sadly, Dr Hamukale said, some of the abusers are people who are known to the children.
He was speaking on Tuesday evening during the official opening of the 2nd Southern Africa Indian Ocean Division (SID) of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church, Women and Children's Ministries Convention taking place in Livingstone.
Dr Hamukale charged that there is need for government and the Church to work together to put to an end child abuse and all forms of violence against children.
"We need to promote love for our children as some of them come from abusive environments.
Many children suffer from emotional abuse which go unnoticed in most cases but it was as deadly as physical violence," said Dr Hamukale.
"As parents, we have a duty to bring up children in the way of God.
We are entrusted to bring up our children in the Lord and we must not neglect this biblical mandate," said.
The minister commended the SDA Church for initiating a campaign against violence.
"I also wish to take advantage of this event to caution the media against airing or publishing content which may corrupt the morals of children or minors," he said.
And in her message, Southern Zambia Union Conference Director Women and Children Ministries Beatrice Bondo disclosed that the convention has attracted 550 delegates for region that include children.
Ms Bondo said that the main objective of the convention dubbed "involve them" is to discuss issues related to children's affairs and further find ways on how they can be involved as little children.
"It is our hope that the messages given to us by the minister and other speakers will find room in all of us. We should not only be hearers but doers of what we learn or what we are taught," she said.