Lusangazi District Commissioner, Margaret Banda, has discouraged victims of gender-based violence (GBV) from concealing the abuse regardless of who is perpetrating it.
The media reports that Ms Banda said women should not keep quiet when facing abuse, as silence contributes to the rising cases of GBV and related deaths in communities.
She said married couples should learn proper ways of resolving conflicts rather than resorting to violence, noting that many of them tend to become violent when faced with challenges in their marriages.
She said this in observation of the ongoing 16 Days of Activism against GBV, under the global theme “Unite to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”.
Ms Banda said local cultures have sometimes misled many couples, especially women, into believing that a man who does not beat his partner does not love her.
She has since called for concerted efforts in eliminating such harmful beliefs.
“It is unfortunate that people even resort to killing each other instead of resolving their misunderstandings,” she said.
Ms Banda further explained that some women go as far as concealing defilement cases when their spouses are involved.
“That is not all, some women are victims of rape for instance, but they opt to keep quiet,” she said, adding that, “Let us give hope to those who are being victimized”.
