Eastern Province records 1707 GBV cases …including defilement of imbeciles

Eastern Province recorded 1707 Gender Based Violence (GBV) related cases, including defilement of imbeciles, between January and December last year, ZANIS reports that Provincial Police Commissioner Geza Lungu disclosed today that a total 1707 GBV cases were record during the whole 2020, saying 984 of the cases were committed by women. Mr Lungu said in addition a total of 324 out of the 1707 GBV cases were perpetrated by men while 347 and 52 were committed by girls and boys respectively. He further added that of the GBV cases recorded last year, 302 were defilement cases of which 299 victims were girls while three were boys. Mr Lungu went on to disclose that among the defilement cases police recorded were those of imbecile victims. “We also recorded about 10 defilement cases committed on female imbeciles in Eastern Province. The province recorded a total of 76 cases of assault on children of which 33 were on girls while 43 on boys,” he said. According to the Eastern Police Chief, a total 795 cases were taken to court with 143 convictions secured, while 392 cases were withdrawn from court on various reasons while 118 cases are still pending. “We recorded 806 cases of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2020 of which 620 were committed by women while 186 were committed by males,” he said. The 1707 is an increase by 507 cases previously recorded in the year 2019, indicating that GBV in the province is on the rise despite convictions, interventions and sensitisation by Government and civil society organisations on the consequences of GBV. The Eastern Region Police Chief said there was an increase in the number of GBV cases reported to the police by 29.7 percent in the year 2020 compared to 2019. “It is currently apparent that GBV is detrimental to community settings at all levels. The community is aware of its negative consequence that destroys the well-being of a victim,” the Police Commissioner said. Mr Lungu noted that during the fourth quarter of 2020 alone, Eastern Province recorded a total of 132 GBV cases of which 67 were committed by women, 40 cases were committed by men while 8 and 17 were committed by boys and girls respectively.