By CHINOYI CHIPULU
Copperbelt acting Permanent Secretary Robert Zulu says issues of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and child abuse are rampant in the province because people hide under the traditional norm to harass others.
He said such people should not be tolerated or entertained but reported for violating human rights.
Dr Zulu said this when a team from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other stakeholders paid a courtesy call on him.
He said there was need to have a multi-sectoral approach to help fight GBV in the country.
“People perpetrating GBV go to traditional leaders and hide in the name of tradition while secretly they are abusing the rights of women and children,” he said.
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Roland Seri said his team is in the province to see the current status of GBV cases.
He said that the initiative was being funded by Ireland and Sweden through the UNDP and that stakeholders involved were the United Nations, Ministry of Justice, Traditional leaders, UNDP, International Labour Organization, and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) among others.
