Two pro-women organizations demand compensation for 13 abducted girls

Two pro-women organizations have instructed their lawyers to immediately commence legal action against the State to demand compensation for the 13 girls who were abducted last year by James Bwalya and Mathews Sikaonga.

The legal action by the Non-Governmental Gender Organisation Coordinating Council (NGOCC) and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) follows the life imprisonment slammed on the duo by the High Court this week.

In welcoming the judgement in Lusaka during a media briefing on Friday, NGOCC Board Chairperson, Grace Sinkamba, said the state abdicated on its responsibility to guarantee the safety of girls.

Sinkamba noted that the girls and their families should be compensated for the trauma and loses they incurred during their horrific experience.

“As we celebrate this milestone on the life imprisonment of the abductors, we would like to remind the state of their primary responsibility to protect and safeguard the lives of all citizens,” she said.

Sinkamba said the State has a primary responsibility to ensure the safety of all citizens either be they women, girls, men and boys, where ever they are.

She reiterated their demand that government should fully operationalise the Anti-Gender Based Violence Act.

“Young Women’s Christian Association President, Patricia Mubanga, appealed to the media to take a sensitive route in reporting to help the girls to heal.
“The media should avoid constantly fronting names of individuals in the abduction,” Mubanga said.

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