Zambia: Chilanga District of Zambia has recorded a total of 19 Child defilement cases in the second quarter of 2024. The law enforcement organization has shared that they are worried about the significant rise in the crime statistics
This came to light during the district’s Child Protection Committee (CPC) meeting for the second quarter. The Lushomo Mwangala, a Police officer from Chilanga Police shared the details of the statistcs.
According to him, two cases of defilement involved imbeciles while 17 cases involved normal children.
Mwangala stated that the Chilanga district further recorded 28 cases of child neglect and four cases of assault on children. The officials have shared that the members of the community are fearful for the safety of minors.
She indicated that the total number of cases against children in the district reported from three out of the four police posts came to 53 and that no cases of child marriage were recorded from any police post in the second quarter.
Mwangala also noted that children in conflict with the law cases included six theft cases, three assaults and one case of receiving stolen property.
“Note that the above cases were not taken to court in accordance with the children’s code, counseling was done instead and the parents or the guardians had to pay for the damages caused to the victims,” she stated.
Assistant District Resource Center Coordinator, Thomson Munsongo, said 119 pupils dropped out of school in the second quarter of 2024.
He explained that 54 were boys and 65 were girls, bringing the total to 119 adding that the figures were received from government and missionary schools across the district.
Munsongo noted that much sensitisation needed to be done on child protection within the district to help pupils not engage in bad vices such as beer drinking, drug abuse among others.
He added that 61 girls returned to school under the re-entry policy in the second quarter.
District Social welfare Officer, Emelda Nkhoma, revealed that plans were under way to form child protection committees in the 12 wards of the district to help cover more children’s programmes and enhance child protection in the district.