Tue, 28 Nov 2017 15:48:07 +0000
GOVERNMENT will soon establish a fast track court which will actively deal with cases related to Sexual and Gender Based Violence in the Livingstone and surrounding areas, acting District Commissioner Harriet Kawaina has disclosed.
Ms. Kawina said the government is concerned that cases of gender-based violence were still high in Livingstone despite efforts being made to eliminate the vice.
Speaking when she launched the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence in Livingstone at the weekend, Ms. Kawina said it was a violation of basic human rights and freedom which all humans are entitled to regardless of their gender.
“I note with sadness that cases of GBV have continued to rise, in some cases resulting in loss of lives and if one survived, they are left with life long mental disorder, stigma and physical disabilities,” she said.
Ms. Kawina said that Livingstone’s statistics recorded 1, 597 GBV for 2016 out of which 202 were cases of child defilement ,adding that 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.
Ms. Kawina said that once the fast track court is established, cases related to GBV will be handled at a fast speed before those involved attempt to withdraw the cases.
“In this regard, the Ministry of Gender has been coordinating the implementation of Government and United Nations joint programme on GBV.
This programme has a multi-sectorial approach and involves enhancing access to health services, legal services and social protection systems for survivors of GBV,” she said. And speaking earlier, Livingstone District Anti-Gender Based Violence Taskforce chairperson Pastor Bwembya said that every year, the district records hundreds of cases of girls below the age of 18 years who give birth in health institutions.
Pastor Bwembya said that the number of adolescent mothers who are under the age of 25 years is quite too high and unacceptable, saying that some drastic measures need to be taken without delay. “The statistics recorded from the Livingstone Gender-Based Violence clinic are that child defilement in 2016 by December was 202 that had been reported. And by September 2017 there were 171 cases which had been reported,” he said.
“There were 124 cases of spouse battery reported by December 2016 and 131 cases reported by September 2017…with teenage pregnancies, 61 cases were reported in September this year,” he said.
He said that if the trend continues, the number of girls who become mothers under the age of 15 years could rise if left unchecked.
“The taskforce has lined up a number of outreach programmes in the district aimed at educating the communities on the danger of sexual gender-based violence…however, with limited resources we can do very little.
We appeal to the government and its partners and other stakeholders to continue supporting these activities which will enable the taskforce to help bring the levels of GBV by not leaving anyone behind end GBV in Livingstone and Zambia as a whole,” he said.
