Zambia launches strategy for tracking gender-based violence survivors

LUSAKA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Monday launched a strategy aimed at tracking all survivors of gender-based violence.

The Gender-Based Violence Survivors Income Generating Activities Tracking Strategy, launched in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO), will help in keeping a track record of survivors in order to help them with income generating activities.

Ministry of Gender Permanent Secretary Felix Phiri said during the launch that the strategy has been developed due to an increase in gender-based violence cases which was a source of concern to the government.

The strategy, he said, will help the survivors with income generating activities in order to boost income levels as evidence has shown that poverty was one of the causes of gender-based violence.

He further urged victims of gender-based violence to report the cases to relevant authorities as failure to do so has perpetuated the vice.

ILO acting director Ezra Sakala said the organization has developed tools to assist the vulnerable people in society such as survivors of gender-based violence.

He said under the project, 6,500 survivors have been reached with various empowerment activities.

Zambia has seen a rise in gender-based violence, with a week hardly passing without such reports in the local media.

Last month, the government launched 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence whose theme is "Leave No One Behind, End Gender-Based Violence Now."

It is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls and it runs from November 25 to December 10.

According to figures from the police, Zambia recorded 16,090 gender-based violence cases from the first to the third quarter of 2017, compared to 13,092 cases during the same period last year, representing 18.6 percent increase.

On the other hand, the police have so far recorded 55 gender-based violence related murder cases. Enditem