THE rising number of Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases makes sad reading especially at a time efforts are being made to rid our societies of the vice.
After all the pronouncements made during the commemoration of the International Women’s Day almost a fortnight ago, it is sad that new cases are still sprining up unabated.
Just when the battle seemed to have been won with the number of awareness interventions by various stakeholders, former Zambia Army Commander General Nobby Simbeye’s daughter Niza has become an addition to the statistic of the number of women being battered with impunity.
What is more disheartening is that the vice is being perpetrated by seemingly civilised people who should be in the forefront fighting it.
Even more puzzling is how some individuals think they are above the law and can beat up anyone and get away with it.
It is said justice delayed is justice denied. The sooner Niza’s aggressor is brought to book, the better.
We beseech the Zambia police to get to the bottom of the case. They must fight GBV cases with the same brutal efficiency that the perpetrators are using and especially pay attention to people who want to take the law in their hands.
It is not too late for men to get on board to fight GBV aggressively together with the womenfolk. It turns out the scourge is not a small battle that can be left to a few Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) alone.
Women should also be encouraged to report the irrational behaviour of their spouses beforehand so that people around them are forewarned.
Surely there must be many more other channels of disciplining an erring spouse without resorting to inflicting so much pain and misery on a spouse to a near death experience that Niza is currently going through.
That is why we call upong couples to involve the church in resolving their marital disputes so that they get to an amicable resolution of their differences. Besides, Niza and her boyfriend have a child together and what leadership are they offering to the young one?
It probably boils down to introducing stiffer punishment for perpetrators of GBV if that is the only way the vice can be eradicated once and for all.
We can only hope other women in Niza’s situatution will not sit back and shield their quarrelsome spouses after forgiving them or as a sign of love. Remember no life is worth losing over a domestic dispute.
The fight against GBV is not a lost cause but if the efforts being made are negated by a few disgruntled people who think they are above the law for whatever reason, the battle will take unnecessarily longer to win.