Zambia: child sexual abuse on the rise 0 Nov
12
LUSAKA - Teachers have been accused of luring young school girls into sexual escapades under the guise of offering them home tuition. In 2006, a girl aged 13 was sexually abused by her teacher at a known school in Lusaka, Zambia.
The minor and her guardian sued the teacher, along with the school and the Ministry of Education in Zambia.
On June 30th, 2008, the presiding Judge, Philip Musonda delivered a judgment in the High Court of Zambia in which the victim was awarded K45 million (about $13 000) as compensation.
In his ruling Judge Musonda, said it was the responsibility of the government to care for all school going children through its agents (teachers and school authorities), when schools are in session.
The case was hailed both locally and internationally as one of the landmark judgment ruling by the judge who held the government liable for violating the child’s rights and was asked to pay for the damages.
The story generated a lot of interests from different international human rights organizations who followed with keen interest in a bid to document violence and discrimination against women. This was geared towards mobilizing international action to support efforts in the country to stop these abuses.
Equality Now, an organization that advocates for humans rights, saw this case as an appropriate advocacy tool for effecting the necessary change in Zambia, through funding from UN trust Fund, convened and strategized with various civil society organizations in Zambia to develop a programme to address violence against girls by teachers.
Although the problem of sexual abuse of adolescent girls in Zambia has been growing at a very frightening rate, it is gratifying to note that there has also been a growing recognition of the need to safeguard the rights of adolescent girls and to ensure that interventions are centred on the concerns of these girls.
The abuse is a global public health concern. The magnitude of the problem in the African region is not known, and information from authoritative studies is scarce. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that globally, some 40 million children aged 0‐14 years suffer some form of abuse and neglect requiring health and social care.
In definition, Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent. “It is a cruel and tragic occurrence and a serious infringement of a child’s rights to health and protection,” Says Zambia’s Minister of Education Ms Dora Siliya.
In her address to a recent journalist workshop, organized by Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA) in Lusaka, Siliya directed all teachers to stop conducting tuitions with pupils in their homes, saying the move had resulted in increased sexual abuse among girls.
“The Ministry of Education has recorded 16 cases of sexual abuse by some male teachers countrywide from January to August this year, resulting in unwanted pregnancies,” she added.
The minister noted that some male teachers were taking advantage to offer tuition to students from homes while with motives of luring them in sexual activities. She directed all Provincial Education Officers (PEOs) and District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS) to ensure the directive was adhered to.
The move was received well around the country but the challenge came in how implementation would be done.
Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) Deputy General Secretary Mr. Emmanuel Zulu however said that it would be challenging to enforce the directive as the Ministry of Education lacked necessary structures to uplift the education standards in the country.
By Lilian Museka – Continue Reading on News From Africa
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