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Zambia recorded 12,637 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) between July and September 2026, with women and girls accounting for 80.5 percent of reported victims, police data shows.
Of the total cases recorded countrywide, 7,972 were criminal offences while 4,665 were non-criminal cases, Zambia Police Service Spokesperson Chipo Kaitisha said.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Friday, Kaitisha said Lusaka Province recorded the highest number of criminal GBV cases at 1,610, representing 20.2 percent of the national total.
Luapula Province followed with 1,179 cases, Copperbelt with 984 and Western Province with 799.
Eastern Province recorded 707 cases, Airport Division 692, Southern Province 629, Central Province 512, North-Western Province 436, Northern Province 238 and Muchinga Province 137, while TAZARA Division recorded the lowest at 49 cases.
“Women and girls remain disproportionately affected by GBV, accounting for 10,167 cases representing 80.5 percent while 2,470 cases were male victims,” Kaitisha said.
Children accounted for 2,751 of the reported cases, representing 21.8 percent of the total, an increase of 433 cases compared with the 2,318 recorded during the same period in 2025.
Of the child victims, 2,156 were recorded in criminal cases, comprising 1,656 girls and 500 boys.
Kaitisha said the figures highlighted the continued vulnerability of women, girls and children to gender-based violence.
Physical abuse was the most frequently reported category, accounting for 4,154 cases or 52.1 percent of all reported GBV cases.
Of these, 3,534 involved assault occasioning actual bodily harm, with women accounting for 85.4 percent of the victims.
Police also recorded 49 murder cases during the quarter, involving 24 women, nine men, 11 boys and five girls. This represented an increase of 19 cases compared with the 30 recorded during the same period in 2025.
Economic abuse accounted for 2,350 cases, representing 18.6 percent of the total, with most involving failure to provide necessities of life.
Sexual abuse accounted for 957 cases, with girls representing 748 of the victims.
Child defilement was the most frequently reported sexual offence, with 648 cases accounting for 67.7 percent of sexual abuse cases.
Lusaka recorded the highest number of child defilement cases at 152, followed by Southern Province with 100.
Other reported sexual offences included 104 rape cases, 21 attempted rape cases, 71 indecent assault cases and 14 incest cases. Police also recorded 500 cases of emotional and psychological abuse and six cases of human trafficking.
The Victim Support Unit provided counselling services to 8,914 individuals during the quarter, including 5,043 people involved in criminal cases and 3,871 in non-criminal cases.
Kaitisha said the third quarter recorded an increase in GBV cases compared with the corresponding period in 2025, underscoring the need for stronger prevention and response measures.
She said police would continue strengthening investigations, community sensitisation, child protection measures and collaboration with other stakeholders to address GBV and improve support for victims and survivors.
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