Lusaka gets lion share as gender-based violence jumps from 10,434 in 2023 to 10,782 in Q3, 2024

The Zambia Police Service has recorded a total of 10,782 Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases nationwide during the third quarter of 2024, with Lusaka Province reporting the highest number of incidents.

Police Public Relations Officer, Rae Hamoonga, stated this represented a 3.3 percent increase from the 10,434 cases reported in the same period in 2023.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday, Hamoonga highlighted that 6,663 of these cases were categorized as criminal, making up 61.8 percent of the total, though this marks an 8.8 percent decrease from 7,305 criminal cases in Q3 2023.

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

The remaining 4,119 cases were non-criminal, accounting for 38.2 percent of the total GBV cases.

Of the cases recorded, 1,019 were taken to court, down 25.4 percent from 1,366 cases in the same period last year.

Additionally, 35 murder cases were reported, a 12.1 percent rise from 31 cases in 2023.

Hamoonga noted that, among 2,511 children affected, 1,870 experienced abuse in the criminal category, including 490 boys (26.2 percent ) and 1,380 girls (73.8 percent).

Meanwhile, 641 children (25.5 percent) suffered non-criminal abuse, comprising 229 boys (33.7 percent) and 412 girls (64.3 percent).

Among adult victims, 8,271 were reported, with women comprising 82.7 percent and men 17.3 percent.

GBV criminal cases by province:

1. Lusaka Province: 1,786 cases (26.8 percent)
2. Copperbelt Province: 904 cases (13.6 percent )
3. Western Province: 822 cases (12.3 percent )
4. Eastern Province: 700 cases (10.5 percent )
5. Luapula Province: 614 cases (9.2 percent )
6. Central Province: 554 cases (8.3 percent )
7. Southern Province: 385 cases (5.8 percent )
8. Muchinga Province: 328 cases (5.0 percent )
9. North Western Province: 295 cases (4.4 percent )
10. Northern Province: 148 cases (2.2 percent )
11. Airport Division: 85 cases (1.3 percent)

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