GBV rife in Katete District

GBV rife in Katete District

Katete, July 17, ZANIS —-Over 250 cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) have been recorded at a one drop centre in Katete district since March this year.

Saint Francis Hospital Acting Medical Superintendent, Victor Sichone said the centre has recorded an increase in GBV cases due to increased awareness of inhuman practices.

Dr Sichone disclosed this to ZANIS in Katete yesterday during a multi-discipline training of management of GBV.

He said the centre which was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department For International Development (DFID) had created a conducive environment for victims of GBV as they no longer moved from one place to another to report cases.

And Forum for African Women Educationists in Zambia (FAWEZA) District Chairperson, Gertrude Chibanda said myths, customs, social, religious expectations and practices were dominant cases of GBV in the district.

Ms Chibanda said women and children were among the most vulnerable groups that needed to be protected.

She urged residents in the district not to perceive GBV as a family problem but a society problem that needed consented efforts.

Ms Chibanda noted that GBV and dependence on male counterparts had limited women in the district to contribute to social economic development and hindering the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

She called on stakeholders in the district to double their efforts in sensitising women on the need to report such abusive practices as most of the cases were still being hidden behind doors.