By CHILA NAMAIKO  –
SOUTHERN Province police Chief Mary Chikwanda has urged officers and their spouses to be shining examples by being disciplined and avoid engaging themselves in Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases.
A police officer in Pemba recently allegedly assaulted his wife leaving her with deep cuts on the face and neck following a domestic dispute.
Ms Chikwanda said the officers and their spouses were supposed to exhibit exemplary behaviour because Zambia Police was a disciplined institution.
“It has come to the realisation of Zambia Police in Southern Province that wives of police officers, despite being within police jurisdiction, lack knowledge on a number of issues affecting people in society,” she said.
Ms Chikwanda said in Choma on Thursday when she officiated at a one-day police organised seminar for selected officers’ wives that there was need for an end to GBV cases in the country.
The seminar was important for the officers’ wives in creating awareness on human rights and GBV in which most women and children were vulnerable people in society.
Although a quick assessment had shown that in most cases people in townships access information regarding matters affecting them, stakeholders hardly think of localities such as police camps.
“It is common knowledge that every women nowadays is at risk of GBV.
It is for reason that a training programme of this nature has been drawn specially targeting the wives of police officers,” she said.
Ms Chikwanda urged women to report abusive cases and not remain mute for the sake of protecting marriages saying her office was open to deal with perpetrators in accordance with the law.
A participant, Tresar Besa, said the seminar was an eye-opener because many women conceal GBV cases for fear of losing marriages and that if their husbands were sent to jail it could be difficult to look after the children.