Wed, 11 Oct 2017 14:34:11 +0000
By JOSSY CHAIMA
YOUNG Women Christian Association Copperbelt coordinator Sharon Chisanga has condemned the rising levels of violence against women and girls.
In an interview with the Daily Nation yesterday Ms Chisanga said there was so much substance abuse in society which had resulted in people killing each other and women gang raped.
Ms Chisanga said sober-minded people would not go to those extents unless under the influence of substances.
“There is so much immorality in our society which is why people are killing and gang raping women and girls. All this is coming from the background of substance abuse because people in their natural minds cannot go to such extents unless under the influence of substances,” she said.
She said it was sad that alcohol abuse was on the rise in Zambia with markets selling the substances freely and in broad day light.
Ms Chisanga said it was high time the sale of substances was controlled and packaging of alcohol regulated and intensified to control the situation.
She said if certain vices were not controlled in society, Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases would not reduce.
Ms Chisanga was also concerned with the numbers of women involved in the abuse of substances especially alcohol and sniffing of “insunko”. She said women must take up their role as mothers and not as perpetrators of violence.
Ms Chisanga said advocacy messages from different stakeholders condemning the vices were clear but people were pretending not to get the message.
“Women must equally stay away from substance abuse especially insunku and alcohol. They should instead take up their role as mother’s and not perpetrators of violence even though in most cases it’s in self-defence but they should not take the law into their own hands.”
Meanwhile Kitwe Teaching Hospital Public Relations Officer Phebby Chileya disclosed that 96 cases of defilement and 44 cases of rape had been recorded at the Hospital from January to August 2017.
