Zambia's fight against gender violence

VIOLENCE against women has surprisingly taken an upward turn to what is now alarming propositions demanding drastic remedial measures. This is despite vigorous campaigns by women and men's lobby groups on the barbarism of gender violence, which unfortunately has claimed a number of lives over the last few weeks. In the past week alone, two women have died at the hands of their husbands in Kazungula, Southern Province and Ndola, respectively, while another, heavily-pregnant for that matter, was shot in the stomach in Chingola. There have been other incidents of women being burnt by their spouses and others clobbered, forcing Zambia to join the international community and condemn this inhuman treatment ... President Mwanawasa has also added his voice to the worrying levels of gender violence. The President, addressing women and men who participated in the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence in November last year, said the Government was worried about the negative effects gender violence had on society and the economy. As a result, the Government was planning to enact laws and domesticate international conventions against gender-based violence ... violence against women is barbaric, primitive and has no place in modern society.