Zambia saw a 15.6 reduction in gender-based violence cases in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year, figures released by the police Tuesday showed.
The southern African nation recorded 4,254 cases of gender-based violence in the first quarter of 2021, a decrease of 786 from 5,040 cases recorded during the same period in 2020.
Figures released by the Victim Support Unit of the Zambia Police show that out of the total cases, 2,277 cases represented female adults, while 627 represented male adults, with girls and boys accounting for 1,066 and 284 cases, respectively.
Zambia Police Spokesperson Esther Mwaata-Katongo said in a release that physical violence made up 56.5 percent of the cases, followed by economic violence at 21.9 percent, sexual violence at 16.8 percent and emotional violence at 4.7 percent.
“The first quarter crime report shows that the physical form of gender-based violence was the highest,” she said, adding 34 gender-based violence-related murder cases were recorded in the first three months of the year, an increase from 10 cases reported during the same period last year. Enditem
