By ANDREW PHIRI –

THE Non-governmental Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has attributed the rising number of defilement cases in the country to moral decay and drug abuse.
NGOCC Southern Province coordinator Faith Simukoko said a survey conducted on rising levels of defilement cases in the province revealed that moral decay and drug abuse perpetuated the vice.
In an interview in Livingstone yesterday, Ms Simukoko said one of the reasons for the rise in defilement cases was the use of sex boosting drugs.
“Our values have really gone down and the other problem is that the male folk are also taking a lot of sex boosters,” Ms Simukoko said.
She said there was need for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to change the approach of sensitization and involve many men.
Ms Simukoko also said there was need to make the sensitization awareness more family based because mostly the perpetrators and victims were family members.
“As CSOs, we need to change our approach on sensitisation. Instead of these mass community gatherings that we talk to, we need to bring the campaigns closer to homes because the victims and perpetrators are usually members of the same family,” Ms Simukoko said.
Meanwhile, a clergyman has called for increased political will in the fight against Gender Based (GBV) in the country.
Bishop Crever Nyambe from the Victors Family Centre in Livingstone said the Government needed to consider the importance that the church played in curbing such vices.
Bishop Nyambe said there was need for the church to be encouraged by the Government through the empowerment of various church organisations to reach out to as many people in communities as possible.
“As the church in Zambia, we have tried our best to address issues of morality and that is why the levels have dropped but we need the Government to realise what influence us as a church play in these issues in society,” Bishop Nyambe said.
Bishop Nyambe added that the Government needed to revisit its position in the way it viewed the Church in order to enhance concerted efforts by all major stakeholders in the fight against GBV related issues.