THE Zambia National Men’s Network for Gender and Development (ZNMNGD) has called on men across the country to lead the fight against Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
ZNMNGD national coordinator Nelson Banda said men are the main perpetrators of SGBV therefore it was imperative for them to take a leading role in fighting the scourge if it has to be won.
Mr. Banda expressed concern over the escalating cases of SGBV cases in the country based on statistics which are released quarterly by the Zambia Police Service.
In the first and second quarters of the year 4,254 and 4,324 cases of SGBV respectively were reported countrywide, bringing the total to 8,578 cases in just six month.
“Statistics for the last two quarters of this year have not been any different and presents a worrying trend which if left unchecked possesses a huge threat on the rights of women and girls and the realisation of their full potential to engage in social and economic development of the country,” he said.
Mr. Banda said the figure was extremely high and unacceptable and presented a message that more needed to be done to safeguard women and girls in the country.
He said he feared to imagine what the SGBV statistics would be as the country closed the year 2021.
Mr. Banda said to stem and curtail the worrying trend, the ZNMNGD was urging men to spearhead the fight against GBV as men are the main perpetrators of the scourge.
He said reaching out to men and boys remained the most sustainable solution which would ultimately see women and girls’ rights respected and up hailed once men turn from being perpetrators to protectors.
“To build more men’s voices against GBV the ZNMNGD will on September 15 and 16 this month hold the first ever Men’s Indaba against GBV in Lusaka, whose theme is Securing the Involvement of Men in the Fight against GBV,” Mr. Banda said.
The Indaba will be attended by men from diverse backgrounds including, the church, media and corporate sector to discuss and strategize on male involvement in this fight and what measures must be employed to reach men in their spaces to end GBV.
