GELD CHILD DEFILERS
Written by Millennium on May 19, 2019
IT is extremely worrying that cases of child defilement in Zambia are on the rise with no quick riposte in sight.
What is more worrying is that even those who are supposed to be the children’s custodians are turning against them.
Obviously the cases could be much higher since some of them are not reported as victims and their parents prefer to settle the cases out of court.
Just what is happening in our communities these days? Why are adults doing this to their own children?
We have heard about the allegory of child defilers who believe that sleeping with a virgin or a child will cure them of HIV and Aids. What bunkum!
Apparently this myth is spreading like wildfire and it is ruining a number of children’s lives.
With defilers on the loose waiting for a ‘miracle’ cure through stealing the children’s innocence, being a children’s officer becomes a bed of thorns.
Children who fall victim to defilers have either died or survived to live with mental and physical scars.
The scars include psychological and physical trauma, being infected with sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.
Some have had their uteruses removed due to infection, which means they will never bear children.
Can you imagine that Zambia alone recorded 495 child defilement cases in the first quarter of 2019” This should act a wakeup call to government to expedite the enactment of the child code bill that will protect children.
According Save to the Children country director Duncan Harvey who is pushing for this law, there is also need for parents, guardians and relevant institutions to work together in ensuring that the environment in and around the home is safe for children.
Mr Harvey has rightly condemned the high levels of sexual violence against children in Zambia.
He was reacting to the recently released first quarter gender-based violence (GBV) report by the Zambia Police, in which the nation recorded 495 child defilement cases.
Mr Harvey says it is his organization’s considered view that Zambia’s poor ranking in the report is a compelling reason for the prompt presentation and enactment of the Children’s Code Bill without further delays.
The report truly shows that the cases of child defilement are occurring at an average rate of six cases per day, meaning a child was defiled every four hours. That is frightening!
It is true that faced with such an ugly situation, parents and relevant institutions should prioritize the rights of children, especially their right to be protected from all forms of harm.
“These statistics show us that in spite of efforts by various actors to curb this form of violence, much more needs to be done to protect children. We note that these statistics refer only to those cases that have been reported to the police, so there may be many more Zambian children who have experienced violence but have not reported.
“We call upon all institutions, households and individuals to uphold the highest standards of behaviour towards children, both in their private and professional lives,” Mr Harvey says.
He said that children must be given the confidence to report any form of abuse they experienced from parents, caregivers, police, their teachers or even their neighbours.
He also urged the police to investigate and act on all child sexual abuse with the urgency it deserved, adding that the judiciary must also expedite all sexual gender-based violence cases involving children.
He called on the media to report all forms of violence children were exposed to in Zambia using child friendly reporting principles regardless of the form the violence took, be it emotional, physical, and sexual, exploitation and child labour or neglect.
“Save the Children further calls upon our partners in the media to be the strong voice children need at a time when they are experiencing pain, danger and injustice as a result of this despicable form of violence,” he said
Apart from that some of the victims of child defilement end contracting STYIS including the deadly HIV.
While God counts the tears of children who fall victims to these beasts only fit to spend their lives in the Hades, effort should be doubled up to check the vice for the sake of our children.
