Supreme Court Judge Royda Kaoma has urged police officers to arrest anyone found indecently dressed to avoid escalating Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases.
Ms Justice Kaoma said indecent exposure was an offence under the Criminal Procedure Code and media houses publishing such pictures can be prosecuted.
She was speaking at the Catholic Women’s league luncheon at Ravens Club in Kitwe yesterday that the country was experiencing high levels of GBV due to indecent exposure some women in the manner they dressed.
Ms Justice Kaoma who is also Kitwe High Court Judge-in- charge said in response to a concern from one of the members of the public on what the police was doing about indecent dressing by some girls and women, that police should take up the role and arrest those found wanting.
[pullquote]Ms Justice Kaoma said indecent exposure was an offence under the Criminal Procedure Code and media houses publishing such pictures can be prosecuted.[/pullquote]
“Police officers should do something about indecent exposure and under the law there should be nothing like parents would plead for their children because just like manslaughter or murder cases, an offence is an offence.
Police should take up the role and arrest culprits, they should take even one example,” she said.
She said the media should also avoid publishing such pictures to avoid corrupting people’s minds because they could be prosecuted.
Ms Justice Kaoma said it was an offence for women to expose themselves in the manner they dressed.
And Kitwe East police chief inspector Anne Mazila urged the public to expose cases of abuse.
Ms Mazila said the forms of GBV included economical, sexual, psychological, physical and use of abusive language from both women and men.
She said it was important for married couples to dialogue and avoid any forms of GBV.
Ms Mazila said police officers where usually faced with a challenge where some parents would plead for their children once they are arrested over indecent exposure.
The Catholic women’s league yesterday organised a luncheon where a discussion on GBV cases was discussed.
ala… kanshi mulandu….
arrest them all twacula nemitima.
please ba police enforce this law with immediate effect so that these girls stop walking the streets half naked all in the name of ‘fashion.’
And where was this dimwit picked from? Somebody remind it that not so long ago its ancestors only covered their genitals with a piece of tree bark. And now it wants to define how other people should dress. It is a poor excuse for a Supreme court Justice let alone a woman!
Zambia, my motherland, never ceases to amaze me! Madam Justice; are you for real? Leave the girls alone. There are more pressing issues to deal with at the moment especially endemic laziness and poverty.
Start arresting their mothers who are in most cases behind the incident dressing of their daughters. In fact some mothers also dress like their daughters, amapulas ati fyakufwala mu public. Shame on whoever supports that dressing!!
@Concalves you are dirt in your mind how can you support nakedness. seeing how your sister’s pant she is dressed can be interesting to you.
I think we need to be realistic. Moral issues are deeply connected with socio-economic and religious/spiritual factors. arresting a person for indecent exposure is not a lasting solution. What is the root cause of indecent exposure? It could be modernity,hunger/poverty, loneliness, cultural influence, peer pressure, family background, and to a certain extent, faith development. We need a deeper understanding of the issue because it is a fallacy to assume that those who were miniskirts/tight trousers are immoral. Pharisees used to do that.
Thats abuse of human rights, we need to dress the way we want ofcourse not exposing the shape of our Luggage but when iam going to club then a police officer arrrests me??? Please clarify because clubbing i cannot go with chitenge, or trousers
This is scary coming from a supreme court judge! We are not just animals but human being too, we are not supposed to be ruled by our “malete, linemba, mazwele, bulupi ni linyo.” Without defining where decent exposure ends and the indecent one starts, just how could one blame ‘Geoffrey Bwalya Violence (GBV) for all that’s wrong about rape crime? Are people in Zambia today not raping elderly grandmas all covered up in chitenges etc?Looking at Kaoma herself, with her dress above he knees, one would have though she is indecently dressed. Sata also azisunge with that catheter and urine bag of his, some women find it very sexually arousing.
#6, I salute your reasoning munee, ubunangwa pa Zambian bench bwafulisha saana! The next thing you will hear from these wigged relics of the bench is that all men should not shave their hair because someone’s sangoma said they look like bakaili or widowers!
Does the same law apply to men ? Men urinating in public and men wearing their trousers at half-mast, exposing their underwear (which is not always very clean looking) are all too common a sight in our cities and towns today. I can’t recall ever hearing anyone complain about this male behaviour.
Full support, arrest them
If kambwili said that, the women movement would have cried FOUL. Good its comes from a woman
This shows the that the Supreme Court have failed, they are better things 2 concentrate on than dress Code useful *****s!
It might be morally repulsive but its not illegal since its not written into law.Under what law did this judge order the women arrested?
WE NEED RULE OF LAW NOW AND ALWAYS.
So how many centimetres below the gluteus should a skirt be before it is considered indecent?Please provide written down guidelines.It can not be left subjective because what one police officer considers short may not be considered short by another.Madame please tell us how many centimetres so we measure before we leave the house.
Tell me when a 40 year old defiles a 5year old is it the fault of the 5year old?Why do women cast the blame on themselves for mens licentious behaviours.I look forward to the day men shall be castrated for sexual crimes against women
what did africa do wrong to God for him to bless us with such hopeless leaders. or is Africa just a cruel comedy show for him. Such a judge should not be in the supreme court at all.
arrest them!
Most of you have heard of my wife, she is hot Latino, uncomparable to any Zambian politician or judge you may think of. However, I have never got attracted to any woman with exposed legs like Dora Siliya or your Silvia Masebo, or even Bushmen of Kalahari, to me they just look disgusting. But am attracted to Arabian woman, I always look forward to check whats under those long chitenges.
If ROYDA KAOMA is not f..u.c.k.e.d properly by her husband she should concentrate on giving orders to him in their bedroom instead of wasting time trampling on people’s human rights commanding them on what they should wear in public. It is so disappointing that as a woman she can rush to blame women for gender violence instead of the criminal. Who appointed this gwat to be Supreme Court justice. It is so annoying. Sometimes they should learn to think intelligently and prepare their speeches properly before officiating at an event, instead of rushing to break stinking wind like that. Tomorrow we will see PF cadres undressing girls in public just because the girl is wearing a short skirt. This judge stinks like a toilet…
Women hate women thats all,short and tight outfits obviously are worn depending on the weather and occassion.
This is unusual coming from a judge and will be interesting how the police handle the orders.
I don’t agree with the judge’s approach as a way to reduce GBV and in fact will escalate the vice as a result of her pronouncement.
Knowing Zambia the way I do. It will be chaotic and everyone will just jump on it.
I feel sorry for the women, most of whom will be wrongly targeted not only by the police but by kaponyas too
rubbish this judge am sure has not lived anywere except z. wake up what u need are laws that protect women, not how they wear their clothing. ignotant judge am ashamed to even know that in 2013 a woman will still be debating clothing in such a position of powe! try to arrest me i will make sure u lose ur job coz i will cause u hell on international soil.
For a judge, the lady is remarkably ignorant and uneducated. Blaming violence against women on the way in which they dress is just plain stupid. Has it escaped the judge’s attention that babies are raped, respectably-dressed women are raped, old ladies asleep in their beds are raped, and women in Muslim countries, dressed in burqas, covered head to toe, are raped and beaten too. Dress has nothing to do with it! Respect for every individual’s right to be free and unmolested is what is needed.
that’s good madam .start arresting these bitches .some men opposing this are the victims of master ponyoponyo.immediately they see these legs they move to their rooms and starts ka friendly.
Using gender based violence to address gender based violence wont work.
very dull judge
Wow!!!!! Really? Like seriously????? 🙁
..Please enforce this law with effect from today!!! We have been tortured for too long!! …amatanta yalya tumona yalemya blood pressure ne mitima sana mwe!!.
so na basungu kubekata ama tourists as its their culture to have their bodies tanned .
Could someone quickly paste what the law says on indecent exposure? I am sure it has more aggravating entries than dressing scantily?? We must not carelessly include moral edicts into legal matters. Those who assault (or hence arrest) women on account of their dressing are actually BREAKING THE LAW. Unless I have missed something?
there you go again zambians, twisting and always getting things wrong, we know what is provocative and whats not, so stop hiding your selves under the burning bush for this wont sort out a problem, please madam go a head arrest indecent cheap dressers for even diamonds and Gold are hidden and difficult to be found. efyo tabopilwa, teku america kuno. you are so lost learn to uphold your culture as zambians, dont steal other peoples culture by going naked in public, fiko bane
I dont see the relationship between GBV and inappropriate dressing. Most of this violence happen at home.
A dull judge indeed. She is did not study law extensively and,she has misplaced her impartiality. At which law school/firm did she do her articles? Judge Kaoma must be retrained in law because her previous qualifications and experience have not contributed anything which can benefit Zambians and those who live in Zambia.
Judge Kaoma is a typical example of corrupted Zambian judges who determine verdicts about cases before them based on instructions from above not based on merits of the cases before them. The Zambian judicial system has to be transformed so that Zambians can retain the independence of all courts and other arms of the criminal justice system. If male or female genitals are not displayed through wearing a preferred atirre,then there is no need to further persecute the victim
Dont regalizing the iligality which not regal,if its wrong,its wrong.Let us not emulate other people’s culture in the name of human rights.God wil judge us according to what we know.
wearing a mini skirt never lead to a woman being beaten up….an i see no corrolation between the two…………….another sad day when a woman leader misleads the masses
Does it include sagging??? KEKEKEKEKEKEKEEKe lol
yes, arrest perpetrators
Question is where do we draw the line between decent and indecent exposure? We need some hard guidelines to prosecute. God bless the women that can hold Patron.
Mwaona manje double standards ya Judge Roydah Kaoma , please look at her oproperty, is that not a nipple protruding from her right breat? If this is not indecent exposure then I’m mauless ndithu! It could also be a gymmick by an ugly woman to dress pretty women in lousy wear so that they also look ugly! Wanya Kaoma, you and Chibesakunda are so ugly, god must have been rushing for lunch when he forgot you on his creation table whence the unbeautifulness in your faces.
She should go tell this to Tasintha Nkandu Luo first!
I would be arrested everyday in Zambia, nothing more abhorrent than the ‘chitenge’ people were which in my opinion is absurd Unintriguing and tasteless
Pathetic little country!
Thanks
ARE GOING TO BUY THEM THE SO CALLED DECENT CLOTHES?
May I know which law the Police should use? I know some of my colleagues in the City have stripped naked girls who are indecently dressed in the past, but naturally, as callboys we do not support such acts of lawlessness.
Ba Judge it seems you have nothing to flaunt.If you have it why hide it. you must be a very ugly woman and you are jealous.
It’s true umwanamashi ka bends ka mujoza ni personal to order kanshi uyu alande ifi naba mu promote bane
Tachekwesha mini Chilya chalulya unushiku Filya fine ngawashimya Nama laiti bane
So njipushe ko pans aka pano bane , why exposé akabende. Tukalatwa shani bane?
very dull judge u must be impeached when we call for tribunal in the judiciary the u cry foul honestly a female judge not supporting her fellow women sad indeed.try and go to her house and u will find that her daughters dress worse.backward judge
Am 100% this is one ugly woman with an elephant body! You are infringing on our laws, the problem with some culture is that, when a woman wears what she feels beautiful and comfortable in or is made up, they get ideas in their thick heads and scream immorality, it’s not what one wears that gets you, it’s what is inside you, your mind and heart, some of you have issues which you cant deal with personally but look for a scape goat. I for one wear what i feel good in infact cant wait for summer, elyo nainunkila, when i come to Zed try lay your stinky hands on me, you will get spray in you eyes! When i make myself up, i do it because thats what i want or when i wear a mini designer dress and look sexy, thats how i want to feel, i celebrate my sexuality in various ways not for you but for me!
Stupid judge. Talk about real issues.
Point on madam Judge,the issue of indecent dressing should be addressed,in some countries they have passed such laws.Those arguing,please though there are other reasons of Sexual Violece against women,you cannot rule out “INDECENT DRESSING”.
Am also sure that sexy little gal is warming up your man, deal with it!
what an i.diot of a judge
‘sana’ you call yourself, your rights should not infringe on other peoples rights. by exposing your ****** you are offending their rights. expose yourself in private and no one will have an issue with. besides no body solicites for your nudity in public. ba kaponya, if they don’t heed the timely warning,, start stripping them naked since they want to provide the public the x-set show
This gives me power for the first time to say to this judge…. OBJECTION YOUR LORDSHIP!! and the masses have responded…..SUSTAINED!!
What about boys who show their underwear by pulling their trousers down?
The Namibian Police recently got themselves into a tease when they tried to enforce that same law. There is a tribe in Namibia called the Ovahimba that still wear their traditional garb – in fact their women wear NOTHING but beads on their upper body!! This enforcement has received ridiculous reviews thus far and has hardly taken off. Short end is we think the VICTORIAN traditions we inherited are our ZAMBIAN TRADITIONS!!! Far from it! Lets re-examine the whole indecent exposure business and ascertain what it really means before we create strange paradoxes.
CONTINUED…
The rest of the Ovahimba dressing comprises short animal-skin based wrappers. This is the traditional wear prevalent in most of Africa. So when you speak about ZAMBIAN tradition, we have to be very specific about which one we are talking about. Puritan England, or contemporary Zambian, or TRADITIONAL Zambian. Are we running back into the arms of Welensky by any chance?
Only those who are immoral an oppose this.Do you know that failure not to take your children to school is an offence in certain countries?Do you know that you can wear a short in certain countries? Do you know that girls and boys can’t learn together in a class room setup?Do you know that you can be charged for not following traffic rules even though you are not involved in a traffic accident?If you are wise you will see sense what I’m trying to put across remember the Bible says the immoral will not inherit the land a person reaps what he/she sows.What we do we do it to the glory of God can some one wearing a mini skirt as a follower of Christ do
That you evil men do not support evil
Judge Kaoma must go back to her former law school and claim fees back. She is an embarrassment to her profession and other law practitioners in Zambia. She is a symbol of corrupted judges and indeed, she is exhibiting the degree of PF infiltration in judges’ determinations of verdicts.
She must excuse herself from her judicial duties because she is biased against women’ s freedom of choice. She a sexist fella.
How is this woman a supreme court judge?! GBV is not caused by women dressing inappropriately! How a woman is dressed has little or nothing to do with sex crimes. It’s about opportunity. Rapists attack women in their homes, at the fields, at the office etc.Sometimes they dont even see their victims before hand. Fully clothed women get raped all the time. The ignorance displayed by this so called ‘judge’ is appalling!
please arrest the hules..its too much..there alot of them even these pf offices..
The discussion on morality and ethics versus law is asymptotic. You rarely reach an agreeable point. Bringing in the religious aspects just makes it more complex. We should decide whether or not we are a theocracy and which leaning our theocracy is tending towards. Then, and only then are we going to have a coherent discussion involving religious leanings in our laws. Other than that, WHAT DOES THE ZAMBIAN LAW SAY ON INDECENT EXPOSURE!!!! ARREST ALL THOSE HARASSING INNOCENTS IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW!!!
What of people walking around with catheters strapped to their willies draining urine into a bag nailed to the leg, is this not a form of indecent conduct too? Especially this chap from kwa Na-Bwalya, he has had trouble at his office and that is why he rarely reports at the office these days because every time he sees a girl in a skirt, he develops a hard on and the catheter strapped to his willy falls off wetting his pants and stinking all around him in the process. So he thought it wise to ask his cousin on the bench to ask Roydah to speak in this manner to taste public reaction!
some of the judges we have in Zambia…………..shame shame!
@sue u got point. Sure the whole lot of supreme c judge saying such is a let down. People in power who are surpossed to protect us are now insighting men to mistreat us. Wat a sorry excuse of a judge. Weither indecently dressed or decently dressed women are still raped, assaulted etc. Why not tell the men to control them selves. Its all about cntrol and civilsation.
this is nonsense from the judge. how does she expect the police to define indecent exposure? e.g. in the picture on this article, i can see her hips: my loins have started to heat up. is that indecent exposure or not? as a member of the bench the (supposedly) learned member of the bench surely knows that a statement like that is too ambiguous. it is the same as saying arrest anyone who annoys another citizen!!!!
asking women to not wear minis or tight clothes is infact an infringement of their human rights so find other ways to promote morals and dressing.
eni sha
Nothing more abhorent than our learned Mushota who cannot make a distinction between ‘wear’ and ‘were’.
Its unfortunate that some pipo can go to the length of insulting a learned judge. just becoz they can not keep their nudity enclosed.
Pliz Keep your stinking underneath zipped. some of you even expose very dirty pants & very ugly dimpled thighs.
Can Kaponyas start stripping these rotten & ugly women who wear indecently.
#3 There can never be a more pressing issue than that which borders on life and death. Morals are such an issue. why do i say so? you see biblically speaking, its adultery for a man to look at woman lustfully (mat 5:28). We all know the wages of seen is death. see my dear friend how crucial this is? Now if a woman exposes her self publicly and comes in the domain of men what will happen? all those looking at her lustfully are guilty of adultery before God!
Thanks very much if the dressing of some zambia ladies is an offence then Judge you are right to enlight us.
Kalingo, i know what these people in Zambia call indecent exposure, i was once insulted by some kaponyas in Lusaka, my dress was not even above my thighs but exactly on the kneels, i still remember how abused i felt, no one as the right to tell you how to dress, but i also understand what indecent means, only in Zambia a girl child or woman is abused and there is no law to protect them, do you know here when a guy passes a comment on a strange girl of some sort, we sue? all those kanponyas calling girls or whistling at girls break the law yet no Judge calls for action!It’s such a shame that a woman with such authority calls for harrassment of women in broad day light, this is empowering sex ofenders, aswell, as kaponyas to take the law into their own hands, i agree with Kalok 100%.
SERIOUSLY?!!! This is the same as saying
“It’s YOUR fault you got raped because you didn’t dress right.”
RIDICULOUS!
‘Fellow bloggers Please help’ Who makes the laws of the land in Zambia? Is it the judges, the police, anybody in authority or is it Parliament (law makers)
Goncalves @2 ubufi uleke. We r in the 2nd decade of the 21st century. This is Over 150 years since people dressed like u r saying. And stop using this Stoopid example. Which people have kept their culture of 100 years ago?
This can’t come from a judge! Maybe from the DPP. A judge should be worried about someone interfering with my rights. As it is Royda would be more at home in AfghaNistan under the Taliban where women have to cover themselves bcoz Men are weak and are easily tempted! Why should women suffer because of men’s weaknesses? Shouldn’t the law and morals be directed towards strengthening men?
Ndelolesha fye.
@32 Kubeba Nomba: U r right. However, I ve seen a strong connection between GBV and GBM. Our defence minister just beats up women, mIni-skirt or no mini-skirt.
The pope #67, Google “Himba of Namibia” to answer your question. Yea – if you ain’t traveled you ain’t seen nothing!
Tired of seeing agree legs. some people are asking about the standard length? very simple just come to me with your mini skirt, if i tear it thats means its unacceptable but if i let you walk then you have met the standard.When you are in Zambia you dance to the tune but outside Zambia you can do whatever pleases you. you can even show your item no hustle.
i made a comment at 5:17pm and its still awaiting moderation. can you write me back that u wont publish it if u have issues dear Editorial eam
Some South African Schools had to start making school desks that covered their front to lessen the ‘torture’ of male teachers. South African female school uniform is pure mini skirt. To ‘confuse’ or seduce a handsome school teacher, these kids would open their legs wide under the desk and expose their genitals whilst stroking and pulling them, much to the chagrin of their teachers. One Zambian expatriate teacher couldn’t take it any more and exploded in Bemba, Mayoooo! Niiinchula ineee! When the headmaster was in called to investigate and ‘cool’ the teacher, the students told him that the Zambian likes looking ‘low’, instead of looking at the blackboard. The poor teacher was transferred to an all boy class to maintain his zip ‘sanity’ that was always bulging through out the…
What about the female Traffic Police officers that wear Police mini skirts while controlling Traffic thereby causing unnecessary traffic jams, as male motorists deliberately drive slowly to catch a ‘glimpse’ of the thighs. One day I saw an elderly motorist in his 60s circle Kafue round about 10 times just to have a good view of this female officer who was controlling traffic but whose thighs were really exposed. The senior citizen almost the age of Munkombwe only left the scene to continue on his journey to Muchinga Province when this officer swapped with an obese female officer with a very long skirt.
This is the dumbest thing i have ever read and to know that a judge actually said these words is simply astonishing. Even girls that dress “decently” experience gbv. Its like saying people should not own big houses because they will get robbed. This is blaming the affected for the offenders actions which in this context is flawed logic. The offender is clearly the monster in this case. People should be free to wear whatever they feel comfortable in. Ba Judge the police have serious matters to attend to.
Only in Zambia are the women at fault and not those assaulting them. How about increasing punishment for the men who abuse these women. SMH. This is from judge sitting on the Supreme court.
Lord, why have you given us blind guides to lead the blind?
its amazing how low someone can think. what has dressing got to do with gbv.? most of the pipo that are attacked o beat up by husbands or boyfriends were not indecently dressed. for example, a lady years ago as raped by the manda hil fly ova bridge by street kids as she was coming from a kitchen party. all dressed in chitenge outfit. would u say she was indecently dressed. young girls as low as 10 are being molested raped beatn up or killed..were they indecently dressed.? lets address more serious matters or find a betta solution to combating the gbv and not blame it on cloths. its a shame that even most of you parents out there are agreeing to forgeting that once your children are arrested, they wil b in prison and children for minsters, or even the judge ha self(if she has children) wil
If you follow the judgements that Judge Kaoma passed on GBV, defilement and rape then you will know how much she supports and protects women. She is one of the Judges that has done a lot in this area and am sure she was talking from her vast experience. Before you condemn what she said read the law on indecent exposure. This is an isolated comment that was taken from the many things she said. It is true that among the many things that lead to GBV related cases seductive dressing has been cited and therefore cannot be ignored in the process of solving the problem. Not all men are the same just as not all women are the same. Not all men are affected by mini skirts but that does not mean no man is affected. We should have a wholistic view to the issues. Reference is to indecent exposure.
I think the dress code should be defined properly. There´s a certain way of dressing which is really very inappropriate. while we can´t go back to what was, we can´t as well take everything that comes our way in the name of civilisation. Beating up women or undressing them in public doesn´t convience them, neither does it justify ba kaponya. A man who stripes a woman naked in public is potentially capable of raping his mother, sister, old woman and a baby.What drives a man to stripe a women naked in public isn´t his displeasure but his immoral way of thinking. if there´s a dress code for women let there be one for men too. God punishes men and women who sinn. its not only men who sin when they look at women´s nakedness, women do too. if God says men are sinners then why molesting women?
thanks editorial team for publishing my comment
viva democracy!
Really? Is this only applicable to black people though?
this supreme court judge is speaking as a catholic. there is no such a thing as I descent dressing for africans. that long chitenge she is putting on is foreign. thighs, breasts and even navels never used to be offensive to men, until, African women wanted to dress like Europeans and since eurooeans have lust for black females, they design fashion that make sure to expise the parts they want to see
Yangu tata, Nomba Niku SAUDI ARABIA?? Arresting them is not a solution. Let’s find the root cause of indecent dressing? Counseling would help as sometimes it is the situations our young sisters get trapped in to, that lead to such. Don’t Judge, Educate the Young ones.
This judgement of victims of GBV by Judge Royda Kaoma is appalling and she had better think through her pronouncements next time! Ambiguous statements can be misinterpreted and result even in escalation of GBV. If Kaponyas and call boys misinterpret the above call to arrest indecently dressed women and start making citizens arrests wrongly, the judge will be totally to blame by all women folk.
Such unclear and subjective charges like indecently dressed are below a judge. Indecent exposure should be applied only when a person shows their genitalia in public. I am trully disappointed that a woman of such standing can make negatively impacting statement towards fellow women. What a shame!
i ask IG Libongani to arrest this judge for inciting citizens to rise against other innocent citizens. its annoying for a judge to say women should not look good because she doesn’t.