THE issue of gender-based violence (GBV) seemingly remains one of the most unrelenting in our modern society.
It is an issue whose proximity to hearts of combatants is abundantly evident. Currently, a day hardly passes without news of someone having been gender-battered, especially among married couples.
However, what is surprising is that the practice seems more pronounced now than in the past. What does this mean? Could it be that it was not as rampant in the olden days or it was just concealed in cultural beliefs; or is it more prevalent now it is just the openness of society that has exposed this problem?
These are mind-boggling questions that beg for answers.
The story coming from Ngabwe in Kabwe where the Police in the area are said to have failed to arrest someone who burnt the private parts of his wife is extremely sadistic.
This was exposed when women complained to the First Lady Esther Lungu when she toured the area on her tour.
This inertia by the Police has also angered Chief Ngabwe who has consequently given them two weeks to arrest the man or he institutes a traditional arrest.
What is surprising, though, is that Central Province Police Commissioner Lombe Kamukoshi said she knew nothing about the incident because she had not received any report.
This is hard to swallow because the residents have poured heart-out about the abhorrent act, insisting they had reported to the Police, but they have failed to act accordingly.
At times, Police inertia can be annoying because in some cases, they are viewed as applying irregular service to the public, arising from perceived biases.
Burning the private parts of a spouse is a very serious act which should not even take hours to corner the suspect for questioning.
This is just one of the numerous incidents and it calls for a review of the fight against GBV, apart from calls for stiff penalties against perpetrators.
If we look at how many culprits have been punished for GBV, yet the scourge remains unceasing, it sends a message that something is wrong with society and the approach to stemming it should be broader.
Humans have emotions and emotions are spiritual elements of our being.
It is sad that in a Christian Nation like Zambia, we have failed to acknowledge that such things need deliverance because most of it is spiritual.
We should have been planting good seeds in the fight against GBV by preaching what the Bible says about love and marriage in  Ephesians 5:22-33, and 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 but the emphasis has been heaped on gender equality issues, some of which have been misinterpreted in marriages.
This has contributed to the increased standoffs in most homes because the aspect of submissiveness and love as in the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church which is his body.
Let us fight GBV using the Word of God; after all, we are a Christian Nation.