NGOCC protest against GBV at ZRA

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 15:49:24 +0000

The Non Government Organisation Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has challenged government on whether it was in order to employ convicts of gender based violence.

The organisation which staged a sit in protest at the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) offices yesterday demanded answers as to why management at the institution decided to reinstate Mr George Siame who had assaulted a female director after he was transferred to another station. The female officer who was fired after the incident has not been re-employed.

AndZambiapolice deployed officers in riot gear in an effort to stop the demonstration against the reinstatement and appointment of Mr Siame to a senior position when he was a convict.

The group led by board chairperson Beatrice Grillo demonstrated the appointment of Mr Siame as Director of Investigations at ZRA. Mr Siame had assaulted former human resource director Ms Roselyn Raelly because of a management decision to transfer him.

He was convicted of assault in the courts of law in August 2011.  Ms Raelly also lost her job, because of the incident, but she has not been reinstated.

Ms Grillo said her institution would not rest until management at the institution resolved the matter.

She said it was not fair for the women folk that perpetrators of gender based violence were rewardd for their acts of violence while the victims were still traumatised.

Meanwhile Nalucha Ziba NGOCC Communications and Advocacy Coordinator told the Daily Nation that the organisation was commemorating the 16 days of gender activism under the theme Zero tolerance to gender based violence.

Ms Ziba said the decision by management to reinstate and promote Mr Saime was a cleared indication that women were not only abused in their homes but also at work places.

“This only shows that women are not safe even in work places. We have demanded from management at ZRA to give its position on that matter but up to now there has been no word from them.

We are very disappointed that despite us asking for permission to protest police officers were deployed on the scene.

We arrived at ZRA offices at 06:30 hours and police officers were sent at 07:00 hours and they tried to stop us from going ahead with the sit in protest.

We are doing so because we want the employers to know that the female folk should be respected even at work places,” said Ms Ziba.