By ALICE NACHILEMBE
Four Thousand three hundred and twenty-four cases of Gender based violence cases were reported Countrywide during the Second Quarter of 2021.
This shows a reduction by 85 cases compared to the second quarter of 2020 in which 4,409 cases of GBV were recorded translating to 1.9% reduction.
Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo said the 2021 second quarter gender Based Violence disaggregated data indicates that 1,104 Child Victims were abused countrywide representing 25.5% of all victims of Gender Based Violence.
Ms Katongo out of the 1,104 children, 872 were girls representing 79% while 232 were boys representing 21% of all abused child victims respectively. 2,687 women and 533 men were abused countrywide representing 62.1% and 12.3% respectively.
She said the Victim Support Unit continues to provide professional counseling to victims of crime and to offenders.
Ms Katongo gender based violence cases continues to occur in communities and the Zambia Police Service urges members of the public to continue reporting these cases to police so that perpetrators are brought to book.
Full statement below
VICTIM SUPPORT UNIT 2021 SECOND QUARTER GBV DATA ANALYSIS
4,324 cases of Gender Based Violence were reported Countrywide during the Second Quarter of 2021 compared to the Second Quarter of 2020 in which 4,409 cases of GBV were recorded, showing a reduction by 85 cases translating to a 1.9% reduction. The 2021 Second Quarter Gender Based Violence disaggregated data indicates that 1,104 Child Victims were abused countrywide representing 25.5% of all victims of Gender Based Violence.
Out of the 1,104 children, 872 were girls representing 79% while 232 were boys representing 21% of all abused child victims respectively. 2,687 women and 533 men were abused countrywide representing 62.1% and 12.3% respectively.
The Victim Support Unit continues to provide professional counseling to victims of crime and to offenders pursuant to section 53 of the Zambia Police Amendment Act N0 14 of 1999.
During the period under review, the Victim Support Unit counseled a total of 2,056 people for criminal offences comprising of 1,358 victims and 698 offenders. 1,824 were counseled for non-criminal offences comprising of 1,077 females, 318 males, 161 girls and 92 boys bringing the total number of people counseled to 3,880.
The 2021 Second Quarter GBV Crime Report shows that 804 Sexual Offenses were recorded representing 18.6% of all the reported cases. Out of these, 590 victims were girls translating to 73.4%, 202 victims were women translating to 25.1%, 11 victims were boys translating to 1.4%, whilst 01 victim was a man translating to 0.1%.
576 cases of Child defilement translating to 71.6% were recorded of which 571 were girls and 05 were boys, representing 99.1% and 0.9% of all the reported cases.
Lusaka Province recorded the highest number of child defilement cases with 224 cases translating to 38.9% of all child defilement cases reported country wide.
Central Province recorded 67cases translating to 11.6%, followed by Southern Province with 60 cases translating to 10.4%. Eastern Province recorded 57cases translating to10% and Muchinga Province recorded 38cases translating to 6.6% of all the reported defilement cases. Copperbelt and Western recorded 33 cases each translating to 5.7%respectively. North Western Province recorded 29cases translating to 05%. Northern Province recorded 19casestranslating to 3.3%.
Luapula Province and Airport Division recorded 08 cases each translating to 1.4%respectively. Still under Sexual Offences; 123 rape cases were reported of which all victims were women.
15 attempted rape cases were recorded during the period under review. The country also recorded 55 cases of indecent Assault out of which 40 victims were women, 13 girls, 01 man and 01 boy. 13 cases of incest were recorded in which 10 victims were women and 03 were girls.
Under Physical Abuse, the country recorded 2,164 cases translating to 50% of the reported cases, 1,594 cases were women translating to 73.7% cases, 357 victims were men translating to 16.5%, 90 were girls translating to 4.2%, 123 were boys translating to 5.7%
Out of the 1,862 cases of Assault OABH, 1,534 victims were females translating to 82.4% while 328 were males translating to 17.6%. 05 cases of Grievously Bodily Harm (GBH) were also recorded during the period under review of which 03 victims’ were females and 02 males translating to 60%, and 40% respectively.
During the period under review, the country recorded 1,862 cases of Assault OABH cases representing 43.1% compared to the second quarter of 2020 Report in which 1,275 cases of Assault OABH were recorded showing an increase of 587 translating to 46% increase, Lusaka Province recorded 423 cases of Assault OABH country wide translating to 22.7%.
Western Province recorded 276 cases translating to 14.8%. Muchinga Province recorded 206 translating 11.1% of all Assault OAHB cases reported countrywide. Eastern Province recorded 204 representing 11%, Copperbelt 191 cases representing 10.3%. Central Province recorded 188 representing 10.1%. North-Western Province recorded 142 cases representing 7.6%. Southern Province recorded 108 cases representing 5.8%.
Northern Province recorded 55 cases translating to 2.9%, Tazara recorded 44 translating to 2.4%, Luapula, records 19 cases representing 01% of all reported GBV cases. Airport recorded 06 cases at 0.3% of all the reported Assault OABH cases
Further, during the period under review, the country recorded 30 GBV murder related cases translating to 1.4% compared to the Second Quarter of 2020 crime statistical Report in which 24 cases of murder were recorded showing an increase of 06 cases translating to 25% increase.
Out of 30 cases of murder recorded country wide, 15 victims were women translating to 50%, 11 victims were men translating to 36.7%, 02 victims were girls translating 6.7% and 02 victims were boys translating to 6.7% respectively. 04 cases of attempted murder were recorded during Second Quarter of 2021.
Under Economic Abuse, 1,129 cases were recorded country wide representing 26.1% of all reported cases of Gender Based Violence. 674 cases of Failing to Provide Necessaries of life and 264 cases of Neglecting to Provide Necessaries were recorded representing 59.7% and 23.4% of all reported cases of economic abuse respectively.
Following Decision 22 made on 14th May 2014, by the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (SARPCCO) at the 19th Annual General Meeting held in Namibia mandating all SARPCCO National Women Network structures to conduct a Regional Simultaneous Operation Code named “Basadi” targeted at combating Gender Based Violence, Zambia Police Service Women ‘s Network recorded 159 cases of Gender Based Violence during the Simultaneous Regional Code named female led “Operation Basadi X” which was conducted from the 26thto 28thof May,2021 as follows;
Sexual Offences: 11 Girls, 01 Boy and 08 Females totaling 20victims.
Physical Abuse: 68 Women, 16 Males,03 Girls and 08 Boys totaling 95 victims.
Economic Abuse: 02 Girls, 32 Women, 05 Men and 03 Boys totaling 42 victims.
Emotional Abuse: 01 Female and 01 Girl totaling 02 victims.
Finally, Out of the 4,324 GBV cases reported countrywide, 937 cases representing 21.7% were taken to court resulting in 105 convictions translating to 11.2%, 05 acquittals or 0.5%, 70 withdrawals or 7.5% and 757 representing 80.8% pending cases in various courts of law around the country. On the other hand, 1,400 cases were withdrawn at police stations while 1,987 are still pending under investigations translating to 32.4% and 45.9% respectively.
Gender Based Violence cases continues to occur in communities and the Zambia Police Service urges members of the public to continue reporting these cases to police so that perpetrators are brought to book.
ESTHER MWAATA KATONGO
ZAMBIA POLICE SPOKESPERSON
28TH JULY, 2021
