Zambia

By Fred M’membe President of the Socialist Party The UPND cadres’ holding of a press briefing at the court’s premises to call for changes in the judiciary amounts to unacceptable intimidation and harassment of judges and magistrates. This barbarism undermines the independence of our judges and magistrates and the rule of law in general. Do […]

Police in Lukulu has formally charged and arrested Chilufya Tayali aged 47 of house number 38 Ngwezi road in Roma township of Lusaka for the offence of Defamation of the President Contrary to Section 69 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia. According to Zambia Police Spokesperson, Rae Hamoonga, the brief […]

Patriotic Front Secretary General Hon. Nickson Chilangwa has advised President Hichilema to focus his energies on emancipating the people of Zambia from poverty stating that is the reason they voted him into office in the first place. Chilangwa said he and his colleagues in the PF and indeed the nation at large have been taken […]

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is impressed with Zambia’s Covid-19 vaccination programme. Visiting USAID Covid-19 Taskforce Executive Director, Jeremy Konyndyk says if Zambia continues with the current momentum in vaccinations against Covid-19, the country stands a chance of becoming a model for the rest of Africa. Speaking during a briefing after touring the […]

Luapula Province Social Welfare Department has disclosed that the region has 89 thousand female headed households listed on the social cash transfer programme, making it the highest in the country. And the Social Welfare Department in Luapula says the new Zambia Integrated Social Protection Information System which the department is using will ease the scrutiny […]

Prisons Care and Counselling Association (PRISCCA) has commended the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) for launching the framework for the provision of pro bono legal services to Zambians. PRISCCA Executive Director, Godfrey Malembeka said that pro bono in the criminal justice system is a timely step in the right direction and will change Zambia’s human […]

After a series of defeats suffered by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in courts, sparking a public outrage on the competence of the commission, president Hakainde Hichilema has assured the nation that the wheels of justice will surely catch up with the people that seemed to have secured what he described as a short-lived victory In […]

Over 60 junior golfers in Kalumbila area on Thursday took to Kalumbila golf course to compete in the one-day junior golf championship organised by FQM Trident Limited. The boys and girls were selected from communities around the Kalumbila Mine. Most of the youngsters are part of the newly formed junior golf academy being spearheaded by […]

The United Party for National Development (UPND) youths in Kitwe district have appealed to the Town Clerk to quickly develop a strategy of highlighting the procedure for accessing the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) to youths and the vulnerable in the district. UPND Kitwe District Youth Chairman Bowas Kapata noted that councilors and ward development committees […]

The government has called on the public and private sectors to participate in the development and implementation of the national electronic government plan. Acting Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, explained that the national e-government plan will form the basis for providing a unit of purposes in addressing multi-sectoral information communication technologies (ICT) programmes in […]

A Zambian firm , Mwashia Resources Limited based in Kitwe, says it has commenced explorations for a large scale copper mine in Kapiri Mposhi Town, Central province. The local mining firm says this follows the Zambia Environmental Management Agency’s (ZEMA)’s approval of the Environmental Project Brief (EPB) on the project, last October. The proposed mining […]

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has said that it is still in control of the properties of former Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo situated in Chamba Valley by way of the Restriction Notice which is in force. Lusaka Resident Magistrate Albert Mwaba yesterday set aside the Warrant of Seizure on Lusambo’s properties on account that it […]

An economic and financial analyst has welcomed the decision by the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) to maintain the monetary policy rate at nine percent. Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) Economist, Patrick Chileshe, said the decision means that the cost of loans will remain the same to the borrowers, a development he said was positive for […]

Minister of Youth, Sport and Art Elvis Nkandu says red tape is delaying a number of registered cooperatives in not accessing the Constituency Development Funds (CDF). Mr Nkandu says having observed the flaw, his ministry has since compiled a report and accompanying recommendations he says will soon be submitted to President Hakainde Hichilema. He says […]

Minister of Justice, Mulambo Haimbe has commended the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) for launching the pro bono policy framework which achieves the notion of providing access to criminal and civil justice for the disadvantaged in society without cost. Mr. Haimbe stressed the need for legal representation as a fundamental right for every Zambian as […]

National Union of Miners and Allied Workers has government to ensure that mining companies pledging huge financial investments actualize their pledges. NUMAW Treasurer Saul Simujika says unlike that in the recent past where some investors made investment pledges that have never been actualized up to date, the new dawn government should be on top of […]

Cleo Ice Queen and Towela Kaira released the video for “On my own“. The video was directed by Director LO of Reel Studios.

By STEVEN ZANDE –
ZAMPOST will soon be converted into a digitalised entity after the Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a European company, ASSECO Data Systems of Europe, which will result in € 10 million being pumped in the company.
The MoU, which comes barely a day after President Hakainde Hichilema called for the EU-Zambia Economic Summit discussions to be converted into transactions, will result in Zampost hosting platforms such as e-commerce and e-banking services.
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Marriage counsellor Taonga Kaluba is also concerned about the violence being perpetrated by women in the community.
She said every case of abuse should be taken seriously and each partner given access to the support they need.
Ms Kaluba said it is not true that women are the only GBV victims and neither are men the only perpetrators.
She said both men and women may experience incidents of violence and abuse with women being considerably more likely to experience repeated and severe forms of abuse.
Studies show that GBV is a global concern that affects one in three women in their lifetime.
“Women have been marching for decades to reclaim their basic rights, but a lot still needs to change, whether at a household, community, political or cultural level. In addition, we cannot ignore the violence and cruelty that is also committed by women,” Ms Kaluba said.
She said couples also have a big role to play to ensure that families are stable and safe so that women and men can live free from all forms of violence and abuse.
Ms Kaluba said many married women live under a cloud of violence.
She said a strong system for counseling that is inclusive of both partners is what all marriage counselors must adhere to if couples’ lives have to be protected.
She said parents and the communities must take interest in who is counselling their children as they enter into marriage and where necessary, ensure that an extensive programme is developed for both partners.
GBV is defined as an act done to someone against their will.
It contributes to the gender norms as well as unequal power relationships.
Forms of abuse range from physical, emotional and sexual, to outright denial of freedom, resources and services.
Recently, a male reader who follows gender articles expressed concern about the silence of activists and the blame on male victims every time a GBV case perpetrated by women results into death.
He noticed some biasness in comments on GBV cases on social media and other platforms when it comes to women being perpetrators.
According to a report by World Health Organisation (WHO), although women can be violent in relationships with men, it is often in self defence.
Similarly, women’s violent behaviour towards their male partners has been established as an effort to try and end their partner’s repetitive abuse.
In a sadly familiar story, one of the observations made by some scholars as being among causes of GBV, is that the worst mistake a woman can make is wasting years of her life waiting for a man to change or grow up.
It is from this observation that Ms Kaluba bemoaned the late response of women in abusive relationships as they hope to see their perpetrators change even when the indicators are alarming.
She has observed that clear communication is one of the tools required to sustain a relationship and both partners should make efforts to speak up and listen to each other.
“The challenge of women expressing their views in a society dominated by strong cultural values continues to see a number of women stay silent in relationships. As a result, we are now seeing some women holding back desires and grudges, which build up over time into resentment towards their partners,” Ms Kaluba said.
She said when one considers the main causes of GBV in relationships, one would realise that women who challenge their partner’s views on infidelity, politics, finances and when women want to chase their career development or business, they are usually victims of abuse.
While there is a common stereotype that women talk more than men, society has been conditioned to believe that men should have their voices more pronounced in decision making in a relationships and in their homes.
In addition, the same society criticizes women and labels them “rebellious”, with others suggesting to have the women taken back for marriage guidance if they cannot agree with their partners’ decisions.
But other activists who have been trying to address the GBV challenges have also suggested how ending violence against women in relationships can only be addressed when the victims identify the red flags and decide to make a sound decision for their own safety.
“For example, because of women’s financial dependence on their partners, the cause to advance the fight of GBV has proved to be challenging, hence the outcomes are always what we are seeing and reading in the media,” one activist said.
Ms Kaluba agrees that tackling GBV should be inclusive of both men and women.
She said working towards prevention and the protection of women and girls from all forms of violence should not be used as defense by those who want to champion practicing harmful customs and advance their own perception of women.
And because the future of the fight for gender equality looks
promising, there is need to continue working on the attitude shift at personal, community, as well as family level, so as to reduce GBC in society.
Therefore, in order to address the challenges of all forms of violence in relationships, there is need to prevent GBV by continuing to examine the root causes that result from the socialisation of men, power and patriarchy, as well as from masculinities in society.
For comments jessiengm@gmail.com.

If there are warning signs or behaviour that make you feel unsafe and your partner refuses to take steps to change, it is important to consider leaving the relationship.
Despite greater public awareness and the increased support from different stake holders on Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the fight for violence against couples some partners have continued to be victims.
Both official police reports and stories in the media document a continuing increase in violence against women and girls the country.
Though there are many forms of abuse, certain abusive behaviour indicate that a victim is at a greater risk of being seriously injured or killed by the abuser.
Studies show that a woman who suffers a nonfatal strangulation incident with her intimate partner is more likely to be killed by the same person.
The most recent case reported in the country witnessed a passion of crime incident which saw social media debate the story while running comments from a video played, showed that the event should not shock the community as the act was inevitable.
Like many, the news disturbed advocates, who say they have long seen a link between GBV and passion of crimes while others suggest leaving an abusive relationship is the best remedy of abuse.
Passion of crime experiences, continue to remind women of the magnification of abuse happening in our community and has touched on the trauma, sadness and pain of women who have escaped abusive relationships.
Zambians for the part, continue to be shocked by the news, others are saddened and outraged of partners killing themselves with some cases including the victims children
A crime of passion is a crime that has been committed under extreme rage or emotional disturbance that is commonly referred to as heat of passion as it something that provoked the defendant, who in the heat of passion, committed the crime
It is important to note that the defendant’s excuse for committing a crime in such a case, may be due to sudden anger or heartbreak.
Commonly these are cases we read, witness a spouse who finds his or her beloved having an affair with another, and shoots or stabs one or both of the coupled pair.
For others, it may be a relationship marked with jealousy separation, divorce, or attempts to dominate the relationship which may turn sour, while some,a battle in child custody is likely to turn into fierce acts that end deadly.
Gender based violence cases are complex, often involving victims who are reluctant to report abuse for fear of further angering their abusers or losing their financial support.
Societal cultural norms and gender expectations that suggest that men should be dominant and in charge of providing financial support and that women should be submissive and have their voice silenced has continued to witness some violence.
A marriage counsellor in Ndola has observed how couples play an important role in building up strong family values in society.
Taonga Kaluba, observed with sadness how some marital disputes are ending up in deadly acts and calls for couples to be engaged in psychological counselling before they get married.
‘‘Apart from the traditional values that we place much emphasis on, there is need to look at the psychological well being of each partner.
This may look like a western concept but it is important if we are going to build healthy relationships and families for our communities.
Yes the cases of GBV has seen more women as victims, though there is need for all stake holders to include the mental well being of women in their marriage counselling as this will help women who may experience any form of abuse open up,’’ She explained
She said every partner in marriage must be treated equally and their decision must be respected, as couples must learn to dialogue and come to an agreement without violence.
She said we still have a long way to go in our African culture as some negative traditional values are transmitted to boys and girls from an early age.
‘‘Girls are reared to be obedient, nice and submissive and in some areas they are still brought up to believe that their role is to serve men, sacrifice their own needs for the good of their partner and the well being of the family.
On the other hand men need to understand what it entails being the head of the house both traditionally and biblically as this will help us have strong family ties.
However, what we are seeing are both men and women entering marriage for the wrong reasons without the full understanding with expectations of their choice, ’’She said
And a female student nurse in mental health said although women have been known to be loving than men, they are still more women out there in the community who are violent.
The nurse who spoke on anonymity said the potential for violence in women is still present, though in most cases it may be in a different form from that in men.
‘‘From my interaction with women who have been identified with cruelty, anger and violence, women’s desire for revenge can be strong.
It is therefore important that we include counseling that will identify the mental well being of partners as this will help address some of the causes of GBV we are seeing.
In any case, the passion of crime cases that we are witnessing have a history of many chances of intervention characterised with close encounters of beatings, and emotional abuse.
Further what we are seeing is the abuser, the one who must initiate a cry for help often doesn’t want to participate in the process of bringing the perpetrator to account for their actions for fear of being divorced or when their economic dependence is facilitated by the abuser.
It is important that we continue to explore many areas of addressing the causes of violence in relationships as we shall continue to ask why and the answers that lie in the silent untold stories of GBV in couples will continue with it’s impact manifesting in unpleasant forms. For comments jessiengm@gmail.com