Zambia Sees Surge in Gender-based Violence in Q1

By Xinhua 

May 19, 2023

Zambia saw an increase in gender-based violence cases during the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the police Thursday.

According to the data released by the Victim Support Unit of the police, the country recorded 10,797 gender-based violence cases during the first quarter, compared to 6,915 cases during the same period last year.

Danny Mwale, the deputy public relations officer of the police, said out of the 10,797 cases, 6,944 were criminal cases while the rest were non-criminal.

The police also recorded 35 gender-based violence-related murder cases during the same period, out of which 10 victims were men, 15 were women and six and four were boys and girls, respectively.

The police spokesperson added that Lusaka, the country’s capital, recorded the highest number of gender-based violence-related cases, with 1,413 cases while Northern Province recorded the lowest with 162 cases.

Also, 701 cases of child defilement were recorded during the same period, with 697 cases being girls and four boys.