Zambia Police releases criminal report statistics, with Lusaka topping in GBV cases at 27.7% (See list of cases)

A total of 10,434 reports of Gender Based Violence (GBV) were recorded country wide during the third quarter of 2023, Police officials say.

Lusaka Province recorded the highest number of GBV criminal cases with 2,025 cases translating to 27.7 percent, followed by Copperbelt Province with 1,357 cases translating to 18.6 percent, according to Police Spokesperson Rae Hamoonga.

Hamoonga in a statement issued in Lusaka on Tuesday evening said 7,305 were criminal reports whilst 3,129 were non-criminal reports translating to 70 percent and 30 percent respectively.

He said there were 7,305 criminal reports recorded during the period under review compared with 6,303 criminal cases recorded during the third quarter of 2022 showing an increase of 1, 002 cases translating to a 15.9 percent increase.

“Thirty-eight cases of unnatural offences were recorded during the period under review,” Hamoonga said.

He said the 2023 third quarter GBV disaggregated data indicated that 2,550 child victims were abused country wide representing 24.4 percent of all the victims of Gender Based Violence.

Hamoonga said out of the 2,550 children, 1,862 were girls representing 73 percent while 688 were boys representing 27 percent.

“6,081 women and 1,803 men were abused country wide representing 58.3 percent and 17.3 percent respectively,” he said.

Hamoonga said in terms of gender vulnerability, a total of 7,943 females representing 76 percent and 2,491 males representing 24 percent were abused during the period under review countrywide.

“The third quarter statistical report indicated that 10,490 were counseled by Victim Support Unit officers countrywide,” Hamoonga said.

He added that 31 murder cases were recorded during the period under review translating to 0.8 percent compared to 22 cases in the third quarter of 2022.

Hamoonga said the third quarter statistical report recorded showed an increase of nine cases translating to 40.9 percent increase.

“Out of 31 cases of murder recorded country wide, 15 victims were women translating to 48.4 percent, 10 victims were men translating to 32.3 percent, four victims were boys translating to 12.9 percent and two victims were girls translating to 6.5 percent,” he said.

Hamoonga said the GBV criminal report showed that 1,066 Sexual offenses were recorded representing 14.6 percent of all the reported cases against 1,000 cases reported in the third quarter of 2022 showing an increase of 66 cases translating to 6.6 percent increase.

He noted that a total of 735 cases of child defilement translating to 68.9 percent were recorded, of which 728 girls translating to 99 percent while 7 cases were boys translating to 1 percent of the reported cases.

“Lusaka Province recorded the highest number of child defilement cases with 198 cases translating to 26.9 percent of all child defilement cases reported country wide,” Hamoonga said.

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