GOVERNMENT must be commended for the active role it has played to ensure that the freed abducted 13 young women receive the best possible care.
Government has ensured that the girls have undergone psychosocial and mental therapy following their long incarceration at the hands of their abductors.
This is a long term process and we are glad that the government has assured that the girls would continue with the counselling services within their localities and referrals to responsible institutions which have been arranged.
As part of the recovery process, the government has reintegrated the 13 girls who were rescued from the abductors into their families after undergoing psychosocial and mental therapy for a week.
According to the Minister of Community Development and Social Services, Ms Doreen Mwamba, the girls underwent counselling under the auspices of social welfare officers and mental health practitioners from October 7 -14, 2022 at a safe haven.
The government did the right thing to take custody of the girls after their dramatic release from a house in Lusaka’s Chalala area where they had been held for over six months.
The girls were abducted from different locations in Lusaka and held against their will in filthy and unhygienic conditions.
We cannot imagine the horrors that the girls were subjected to, not knowing if ever they will come out alive from their ordeal.
We agree with Ms Mwamba that Zambians must support the rehabilitation process of the survivors’ reintegration back into society and warned against stigmatisation and victimisation of the survivors.
Just as their release from captivity brought a collective sigh of relief in the nation, their continued rehabilitation from the trauma they went through must concern all Zambians.
They need to be acceptable back into society and not be subject of gossip especially on social media.
Some of the girls were nursing students and Ms. Mwamba said the ministry in conjunction with the ministries of Health, Education and Gender division was working on specific interventions to ensure that the abduction survivors transitioned back into the education system in a better environment.
She said “Care plans for each survivor have been developed based on the identified mental health and social economic needs.”
It is important, as the minister noted, that individual needs must be identified to ensure that there is full recovery for all.
While group therapy helps, there will be those who will need individual attention for which the government is well aware.
It is most likely that there could be some among the girls who might need psychological support for a long time which must be provided.
The government should also ensure it brings in organisations such as the Young Women’s Christian Association which has a remarkable track record of looking after abused girls and women.
Their long-term healing process must include as many organisations as possible for the many diverse attributes they bring to the table.
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