GBV: 14 men were battered by wives in Choma

FOURTEEN men from various parts of Choma District in Southern Province were last year battered by their wives in a seemingly hidden facet of domestic violence.

Some men, who were victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV), were in many instances not willing to report such cases to the police and other law enforcement agencies for fear of being ridiculed.

Giving a report on GBV during a recent District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) meeting, District AIDS coordinating advisor, Veronica Mweetwa bemoaned the increasing numbers of men being battered by their wives in homes.

Ms Mweetwa has since called on men, who were GBV victims, to rise to the occasion and report such abuse cases to the Victim Support Unit and other law enforcement agencies.

“The statistics of men being battered by their wives in the district are on the increase, but we are urging victims (men) to also come out in the open and report such cases like what women are doing, “she said.

She, however, observed that Choma was recording more cases of women being physically abused by men.
She cited incidences where a wife would approach her husband in a respectful manner over a domestic misunderstanding, but the man would respond aggressively.

“The most prominent cause of GBV against women in Choma is when a wife tries to ask her husband why he is having girlfriends or wants to marry more wives, and this man becomes violent and beats her up, “she said.

DDCC acting chairperson, Vincent Sikanyeela called for more GBV sensitisation campaigns in rural areas, saying the scourge was detrimental to national development.

Mr Sikanyeela, who is the district administrative officer, said GBV either of men or women was not a panacea to solving domestic disputes.