Police record 18,540 cases of GBV in 2016

The Zambia Police recorded a total of 18,540 cases of Gender Based Violence countrywide in 2016 compared to 18,088 cases in 2015, representing an increase by 452 cases translating into 2.4%.

Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo says Copperbelt recorded the highest number of GBV cases with 5,554 followed by Lusaka with 3,751, while Northern Province recorded the lowest at 383.

Esther Katongo

Ms Katongo says 2,363 cases of defilement were reported countrywide out of which 2,344 victims were girls and 19 boys.

She says 852 cases were taken to court with 223 convictions secured, 33 acquittals, while 575 cases are still pending in various courts of law countrywide, with the remaining 1,434 cases still under investigation at various Police Stations.

Ms Katongo says Lusaka Province recorded the highest number of defilement cases while Luapula recorded the lowest number with 59 cases.

And Ms Katongo says the country recorded 77 Gender Based Violence related murder cases in 2016 representing 0.4% of the reported cases out of which 36 were male victims, 30 female, 7 girls and 4 boys.

She says 51 cases were taken to court with 5 convictions secured, 1 acquittal, while 45 cases are still pending in the courts of law with 26 cases still under investigation at various Police Stations.

Ms. Katongo states that out of the 18,540 cases of Gender Based Violence reported countrywide, 3,099 cases representing 16.7% were taken to court resulting in 678 convictions, 112 acquittal, while 432 cases were withdrawn, with 1,877 cases still pending in the various courts of law.

She adds that 6,272 cases are still under investigation at various Police Stations countrywide while 9,169 cases were withdrawn at Police stations.