GBV: STILL A SOCIAL MENACE

GENDER-BASED Violence (GBV) has continued to be one of the biggest challenges in Zambia with the number of reported cases on the rise.

Barely a day passes without the Zambian communities witnessing about 50 cases of GBV, with women forming the biggest number of victims of the vice.

What is GBV?

GBV can be defined as all acts perpetrated against women, men, girls and boys on the basis of their sex which cause or could cause them physical, sexual, psychological and economic harm.

GBV violates the human rights of an individual, disrupts families and undermines socio-economic development of a country.

The GBV situation in Zambia

An annual survey by the Victim Support Unit (VSU) of the Zambia Police Service revealed that in 2016, the country recorded 18, 540 cases as compared to 18, 088 cases recorded in the previous year of 2015, showing an increase of 452 cases of GBV.

Similarly, the 2017 GBV thirdquarter report indicates that the total number of GBV cases in just one quarter countrywide was 16, 090, compared to 13, 092 cases in 2016 during the same period - a 18.6 percent increase.

And statistics in the case of Southern Africa, show that Zambia has the highest incidences of GBV in the region, despite Government enacting laws such as the Anti-Gender Based Violence

However, there are indications that these figures are only a fraction of what is actually obtaining on the ground, especially in rural areas where most cases go unreported.

Although women in Zambia experience a variety of forms of violence including battery, sexual abuse and exploitation, rape, defilement (rape of a child) and incest, spousal abuse or domestic violence was the highest form of abuse reported.

Withdrawn cases of GBV

Sadly, most of the reported cases of GBV are withdrawn for the law enforcement agencies, before the law takes its course.

According to the VSU, over 400 cases of GBV were withdrawn from the police between January and December last year countrywide.

Although an annual report for 2017 is not yet out, VSU national coordinator Tresford Kasale says the number of cases that were withdrawn especially by female victims were increasing on a daily basis.

Mr Kasele expressed sadness that despite enhanced sensitisation programmes on GBV and the need to report such cases, many victims have continued to withdraw.

Indeed, this escalating tendency by the victims of withdrawing the cases has continued hampering the country’s quest to reduce the rising cases of GBV and giving the culprits more courage to be remain threats to women and girls

Financial dependence is one of the major reasons why most women withdraw GBV cases committed against them, especially by their husbands.

Most women endure abusive marriages or relationships as they lack means to sustain their livelihood.

They withdraw cases as perpetrators are usually breadwinners and they fear to be impoverished in an event that their spouse is arrested.

One good example is Mercy Kabwe, who has suffered at the hands of a woman batterer (her husband) yet choose to free him.

Mercy, once reported her husband to the police, but later withdrew the case, because there was no one to provide for the family when he was detained.

“My husband has been beating me, one time he beat up severely that I even fainted. He just came home drunk and started shouting, when I tried to respond, he hit me with a bottle of beer and continued beating me till I became unconscious.

“I reported him to the police and he was detained for some days at the police station, but I decided to forgive him and withdraw the case there was no one to provide for me and my children,” she said.

Most of the women victims also tend to present emotional feelings favouring their husbands when it comes to the matter of reporting GBV or taking the matter further.

Way forward

If women are financially independent and when they do not have to rely on their spouses to survive or meet their daily obligations, withdrawing cases of GBV would automatically reduce.

Women would be able to take care of their homes and children, even in the absence of their husbands.

Financial independence among women would also help to reduce the high levels of GBV against women in Zambia, as dependence on men was one of the causes of the vice.

Being dependent on men is old fashioned and women need to change their mind-set.

Women must endeavour to be financially independent, because some men are stingy when it comes to money and this might even bring about a fight of which in many instances men win, because they regard themselves as “breadwinners.”

It is for this reason that the Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) is calling for more women empowerment programmes.

ZNWL chairperson Beauty Katebe is of the view that if women are provided with economic empowerment support such as finance, land and skills, they would be able to stand up for themselves.

Ms Katebe also called for more safe shelters countrywide for GBV survivors.

“When empowered and provided with skills, women will be able to grow their income generating activities and support their families, in an event that their husband is sent to jail. Such efforts can also assist to reduce GBV which is largely as a result of poverty in the affected homes.

“Also the need for more safe shelters throughout the country, cannot be over-emphasised, we need such facilities to help the survivors of GBV get back on their feet, it’s not just financial help that these women need, but also counselling,” Ms Katebe said.

She also urged women to report all cases of domestic violence, saying this is the only way the vice could be curbed.

“GBV is a serious offence and the culprits must face the law regardless of their relationship with the victims,” she said.

To be a woman, who lives in abusive environment, may lead to disillusionment and self-destruction.

Therefore, there is need for women to fight for their rights and take the lead in raising their voices against domestic violence by reporting to the law enforcement agencies, if the fight against GBV was to be won.

Keeping quiet is no solution, it can even be regrettable, because nowadays women are even murdered by their spouses.

GBV is not a panacea to solving domestic disputes, its effects can be devastating and women have the ability to solve this problem by providing timely information on such cases so as to help to the handling process.

There is also need for stakeholders involved in implementing the anti-GBV protection to put in much effort and ensuring that such cases are not withdrawn, once reported.