IT is horrible that some elements are clipping in the fight against gender-based violence which has received remarkable support from various stakeholders.
The monstrous behaviour exhibited by Jack Chipokola in violently buttering Niza Simbeye, his girlfriend, is a serious indictment on the fight against gender-based violence that deserves severe punishment.
What is even more painful is that Chipokola is a married man, making his act not only amounting to gender-based violence but also a moral issue especially in the fight against HIV/AIDS where extra-marital affairs are discouraged.
According to Simbeye, who is the daughter of former Zambia Army commander Nobby Simbeye, the biggest mistake she made was to greet male friends and relatives at wedding reception for a friend.
Surely, it just does not add up that a mere greeting to colleagues and relatives by Niza could attract hours of interrogation from her boyfriend Chipokola who later turned Niza into a punch bag.
As a result Niza suffered a fractured eye socket from the beating and was admitted to CfB Medical Care in Lusaka.
•Niza Simbeye captured after the beating.
The 25-year-old woman was nearly killed had it not been for Niza’s sisters who rescued her from Chipokola.
Surly, should this kind of monstrous behaviour be allowed to continue?
It is only right to suggest that men who feel have the boxing skills should join the boxing ring instead of practising their skills on defenceless women.
Admittedly, this kind of behaviour exhibited by some men in this country has made a number of women suffer.
Not too long ago another Lusaka woman Mary Nanyangwe was scalded by her husband by pouring hot water on her after a domestic misunderstanding.
It was only last week again that a man in Kitwe set ablaze a house in which his former wife and children were sleeping resulting in the death of the wife from severe burns. Two of his children also died.
Another woman was late last year also stabbed to death by her lover in Nakonde district in Muchinga Province and the list is just endless.
Surely, this kind of atrocious actions being exhibited by some men should come to an end.
Despite strides made in the fight against gender based violence, Zambia still has the highest cases of GBV in Southern Africa, according to Gender Links.
Gender Links board member Sarah Longwe said Zambia has the highest cases because of violent acts being perpetrated by men.
Ms Longwe also revealed that 90 percent of women have been GBV victims and that one in every three women was battered by her close relation, husband or boyfriend.
Statistics show that after Zambia, Botswana is second on the list with high GBV cases, with Zimbabwe coming third, South Africa fourth while Mauritius is at the bottom of the GBV records.
Agreeably, it is against this background that it is important as Ms Longwe said that women should voice out against GBV so as to achieve the zero GBV tolerance stance in Zambia.
Indeed, there is also need for Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) in the country to seriously join in the fight against GBV.
In fact as the First Lady Christine Kaseba rightly put it, all sectors of society such as government, civic leaders, the church and NGOs should unite in fighting GBV.
In this regard, the initiative taken by Young Women Christian Organisation Association (YWCA) to create the “Good Husband Campaign” aimed at fighting GBV is a good move.
To this end, the initiative to tackle Gender Based Violence (GBV) against women and girls by YMCA should seriously spread to other parts of the country.
However, as the first lady stated, it is important to establish the root causes of GBV if in order to eradicate it.
To this end, as earlier discussed on this column, in finding lasting solutions to problems, it is always important to establish the cause if the best way to approach a problem is to found.
So the root causes to GBV in Zambia indeed need to be established in order to win the fight.
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