Director of Public Prosecutions Gilbert A. Phiri says Zambia continues to record alarming levels of sexual and gender-based violence, with statistics showing that 26 percent of girls and 6 percent of boys reported being forced into their first sexual experience.
Speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Prosecution Authority and Lawyers Without Borders, Mr. Phiri says one in three girls experience sexual violence before the age of 18, while 42 percent are married before adulthood.
Mr. Phiri says the rise in online exploitation, trafficking in persons, cyber harassment, and other technology-facilitated offences have exposed the need for specialised training for prosecutors and investigators.
He states that the partnership will focus on research, capacity building, survivor-centred reforms, and resource mobilisation to strengthen the country’s response to crimes affecting women, children, and other vulnerable groups.
Meanwhile, Lawyers Without Borders Project Manager Christopher Mayhew says victims of sexual and gender-based violence often come forward after painful experiences and deserve to be treated with professionalism, dignity, and care.
Mr. Mayhew says the agreement seeks to strengthen the capacity of the prosecution system to effectively handle delicate cases involving child exploitation, human trafficking, and technology-facilitated violence.
By Josphat Hamakala
