Cervical cancer a reality for women

Catherine Nchimbi

SYLVIA Phiri (35) is a mother of seven. For sometime now she has been experiencing a smelly discharge and sometimes bleeds after sexual contact with her husband.

She tried to get rid the discharge by having frequent baths and using some traditional herbs but the condition did not improve. Recently, her husband started to shun her and she could not talk to anyone about her condition because she regarded it as “too personal.”

Ms Phiri decided to go to hospital when her condition became unbearable. After doing some tests, the doctors found out she had cervical cancer and it was advanced.

Acting Executive Director of the new Cancer Diseases Hospital, Dr Kennedy Lishimpi said such cases were many in Zambia due to lack of awareness on the symptoms of cervical cancer.

Between April 2007 and 2008, the cancer hospital has recorded 1,019 cases of cancer, 60% of them, already advanced.

“It is very difficult to cure them at this stage because the disease has already spread,” Dr Lishimpi said.

He said the most common type of cancer was cervical followed by breast cancer, prostate cancer, blood cancer and head and neck cancer.

Dr Lishimpi said programmes were underway to conduct cervical and breast cancer screening nationwide.

“We have programmes to go down to district hospitals and schools to educate people on cancer but we have not yet reached every district,” Dr Lishimpi said.

Cancer patients access free medical services at the Cancer Diseases Hospital but they will have to share the cost in the near future to reduce the burden on the hospital.

According to the Zambia National Cancer Registry for 2004, the age groups affected most by cancer are between 35-44 years at 22% followed by 25-34 at 19.1%.

“The reason for cancer affecting younger persons more is mainly HIV/AIDS, otherwise most cancers are supposed to affect people from 45 years,” Dr Lishimpi said.

Dr Lishimpi said there was a relationship between obesity and breast cancer. Some studies had reported links between the two.

He said obesity and physical inactivity may account for some cancers. People should try to establish healthy eating habits and physical activity early in life to prevent obesity.

Those who are already overweight are advised to avoid additional weight gain and to lose some weight through a low-calorie diet and exercise.

“Even a weight loss of only 5 to 10 percent of total weight can provide health benefits,” he said.

Dr Lishimpi said breast cancer is more likely to be detected at a later stage in obese woman than in lean women.

“The detection of a breast tumor is more difficult in obese that a lean woman,” he said.

Dr Lishimpi said people should eat healthy traditional foods which have mechanisms to protect them from cancer.

Traditional foods have certain antioxidants which protect cells from cancer. The foods include a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin C, E and A. They are also in abundant in fruits and vegetables,a swell as nuts, grains and some meats, poultry and fish, tomatoes, watermelon, guava, pawpaw, apricots, pink grapefruit, orange and other foods.

And commenting on public awareness about cancer, Ministry of Health Acting Director of Technical Support Services Dr Canisius Banda said that it was “still very low” and there was a lot of work to be done in informing the public.

“We have to make sure all women, including those from remote areas understand the symptoms of cancer and the importance of going to the hospital early. If detected in its early stages, cervical cancer is curable,” Dr Banda said.

The ministry of health has initiated radio programmes on radio Phoenix where information is provided adding that the Cancer Diseases Hospital was built not only to treat cancer patients but also to create awareness about the disease.

Dr Banda said the real cause of cancer was not known but several factors can trigger cervical cancer in people. The factors include early sexual activity (before the age of 18).

The Human Papilloma Virus which is believed to cause cervical cancer, is sexually transmitted. It can also cause warts.

Other causes are HIVand AIDS, having frequent births as repeated delivery causes trauma in the vagina, use of herbs for dry sex and family history. Age is also a contributing factor. Any woman over 40 might be at risk of suffering from cervical cancer.

Apart from bleeding and smelly discharge, other cervical cancer symptoms include anemia and growth on the cervix.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, and the third most frequent cause of cancer death worldwide, especially in middle and low income countries, accounting for nearly 300,000 deaths annually.

Discussing breast cancer, Dr Banda said it was the second most common cancer killing many women in Zambia, insisting that women aged 30 and above should visit the hospital regularly for check ups.

“We now have the Cancer Disease Hospital which does mammography (breast checks). Women are also taught how to examine their breasts for any signs of cancer,” Dr Banda said.

He said women with no children or those who had them only after the age of 30 were more prone to breast cancer.

“Being pregnant more than once or becoming pregnant at an early age reduces the risk of breast cancer,” Dr Banda said.

Like in cervical cancer, age is a factor in breast cancer. As women get older (over 40), their bodies produce excess estrogen which feeds cancer cells.

“The majority of advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over the age of 50 and women are more likely to get breast cancer than men,” he said.

And some people have genes that make them more prone to developing breast cancer.

“These genes normally produce proteins that protect people from cancer but if parents pass on a defective gene, someone might have an increased risk of breast cancer,” he said.

The menstrual cycle is also a factor. Women who experience their periods early (before the age of 12) or those who start menopause late (after the age of 55) have an increased risk of breast cancer.

Other causes are smoking because tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemical agents including over 60 substances that are known to cause cancer. The use of contraceptives without progesterone can also cause cancer.

The symptoms of breast cancer include a lump in the breast or armpit. The lump is hard, has uneven edges and usually does not hurt. The nipple might also be inverted, averted or it can be destroyed.

The breast can be red and dimpled like the skin of an orange and a bloody, clear to yellow-green fluid or pus coming out of the nipple.

Appreciate Women

By Catherine Nchimbi

A women’s organization has urged society to appreciate women for what they do for their families and society in general.

Chairperson for Thasinta Professor Nkandu Luo said women are the ones who give birth to children and take care of families in health and sickness irrespective of how rich or poor they are.

Prof Luo said this when she commented on the importance of Mothers day and its relevance to peoples lives. Mother’s day will be commemorated tomorrow.

She said mothers day is a day when women should be appreciated for what they are and encouraged people to show this by giving gifts and messages of love to women.

Commenting on views from some quarters that there is no need to celebrate mothers day because there already exists the international women’s day, Prof. Luo said there is a big different between the two.

She said international women’s day involves activism where women all over the world want their economic, social and traditional contributions to be recognized.

“During International Women’s’ day, women want the world to know that their place in the kitchen is over—- that they should not be left out in decision-making because they are capable of performing as well as the men folk”, Prof. Luo said.

Young Women Christian Association executi8ve director Mrs. Katembu Kaumba said mothers have been taken for granted for a long time and that it is necessary to have a day to show appreciation for what they do and sacrifice for their families.

Mrs. Kaumba said mothers play a critical role in development of their families and that as primary care givers and custodians of houses they should be appreciated.

“Not everyone can be a mother and not everyone can be a good mother, so it is good to have a day when people reflect on the importance of mothers and show appreciation”, she said

Mothers day is celebrated every 11^th of May worldwide. It started way before the 17^th century by ancient greeks who celebrated Rhea, the mother of all gods.

Professional Titles for Some Common Occupations

By Wangari Ndirangu

Garden Boy – Landscape Executive and Animal Nutritionist

House Maid – Family Environs Upkeep Manage

Receptionist – Front Office Manager /office Access Control Specialist

Typist – Printed Document Handler

Messenger – Business Communication Conveyer

Window Cleaner – Transparent Wall Technician

Temporary Teacher – Associate Tutor

Tea Boy – Refreshments Overseer

Garbage Collector – Public Sanitation Technician

Watchman – Theft Prevention and Surveillance Officer

Thief – Wealth Distribution Officer

Driver – Automobile Propulsion Specialist

Maid – Domestic Operation Specialist

Cook – Food Preparation Officer

Unemployed – Township Manager

Gossip – Research Management Officer

ZAMWA NOTE

By Margaret Chimanse (Chairperson)

It gives me great pleasure to write this note for the first edition of the ZAMWA newsletter whose aim is to communicate the programmes and activities of the association to its stakeholders and the public, highlight issues that affect women and the disadvantaged in society and provide a platform for dialogue that will enhance the role that women play in the their communities.

The Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA) is an association that draws its membership from women journalists working for various institutions and media organisations. Its programmes are targeted at the plight of the marginalized rural women, and women journalists in particular. ZAMWA endeavours to promote the interest of women, to ensure that they have access to, and actively participate in the media.

ZAMWA believes that the advancement of women is critical to development. Issues that ZAMWA is concerned with include the voiceless-ness of women, their inadequate access to, and less pronounced participation in, the communication media, and the general negative portrayal of women by society. A large population of Zambian women lives in rural areas, and they are unable to access information, which is critical to development. The lack of access to information has contributed to perpetuating gender inequalities and discrimination, violence against women, and poverty.

The stories and challenges that women go through are sometimes not told because of cultural issues and a lack of channels to disseminate the information. This edition highlights some startling stories on rape, sexual abuse and early marriages that affect women and children. There are also positive sides such as the overwhelming experience at ZNBC by an FK Exchange Participant with a perspective on ZAMWA that give us hope that when effort is put in sharing experiences and taking positive strides communities that we live can indeed change.

The role of the media in development and bringing empowering experiences to societies especially the under privileged and disadvantaged should be encouraged and supported by all. One hopes that the media can make efforts to tell the other side of the story that will help change lives.

We note that some steps have been taken to include more voices in the media particularly by up-coming community radio stations that have been set up around the country. These community radio stations are improving the governance process and participation by local communities in the decision process. The Media Trust Fund should be applauded in this regard for bringing to life many community radio stations that are dotted around the country by providing infrastructure, training , support and capacity building to rural communities. These indeed are taking up position as vehicles of change and empowerment for rural communities.

I hope you take time to read this first of many more issues.

MARRIED AND PROUD TO BE BACK IN CLASS

By Sally Chiwama in Mporokoso

Kapenda Buyamba is only 16 years old but she has already been married for two years and she is heavily pregnant expecting her second child. Her first one is two and half years old.

Buyamba says she got married at a tender age of thirteen and a half years after being impregnated by a boy who is now her husband. She says that there was not much to do in the camp and since her family didn’t have much food she had to fend for her self most of the times. Buyamba was not ashamed to say that she was doing her first grade at one of the schools in the camp.

“Nimeowa nilikuwa na myaka kumi na tatu,” (I got married when I was 13 years old) she said in Kiswahili.

Exact figures of the number of early marriages were difficult to obtain, as so many marriages in Mwange Refugee Camp are unregistered and unofficial. However, Buyamba is probably one of the many girls whose marriage will never be recorded anywhere.

Namanda Mateele Project Manager of HODI, a non-governmental organization that works in the camp on issues of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), says that her organization addresses issues such as early marriages, defilement and gender based violence amongst the refugee community.

Mateele says a task force on SGBV and a Youth Group were formed to look at these issues so that youths could also come together and discuss issues that affect them.

“We have formed an SGBV youth group with 56 girls and boys, this was after we realized that there was a lot of sex amongst adolescents,” said Mateele.

She said that the youth groups are encouraged to put their education ahead of anything else adding that one of their most important tasks was to try to convince the girls that had fallen pregnant to go back to school.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) shows that early marriage in any place including Mwange Refugee Camp was part of a broader approach of building a “protective environment” for children which shelters them from this type of exploitation.  It adds that early marriage can have harmful consequences to children including health problems, spousal abuse and the denial of education. Once married, girls often do not go back to school.

The society at Mwange refugee camp is making efforts to ensure that girls have an equal opportunity in education so that families and communities can became aware of the serious risks of early marriage for young girls. They are also educating the communities on the importance of prohibiting early marriages through legislation and the services available to counsel young girls who have been abused.

To stop the inhuman attitude towards girls who are involved in early marriages the CRC says there should be stringent laws against the practice of child marriages and government and the civil society should initiate campaigns in every community on the evil consequences of child marriages.

It was observed that refugees at Mwange who have gone through early marriages had embraced the concept of going back to school even though they were young mothers and fathers.

In an interview with ZAMWA, Mitwele Mwelu, a grade 12 pupil who is married with three children revealed that she was happy that she had decided to go back to school.

“Nime furahi sana, kurudi kwa shule.”(I am very happy to come back to school). Mwelu is even happier that she is now writing her final exams so that when she finishes high school she will also be able to work. She says that her husband who is a teacher at the same school encourages her to work hard.

Heri Mupata, a grade 11 pupils is also another married boy with a child who is very proud to be in school and says that he is preparing for his future and a good life with his family. Mupata says his wife is also doing a skills development course and takes the baby with her when she goes for her class.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most comprehensive international instrument for the definition and enforcement of human rights of children and is the only international human rights instrument that consistently uses both masculine and feminine pronouns throughout making it explicit that the rights contained therein apply equally to female and male children.

The CRC Convention will soon be celebrating it 18^th anniversary but in many parts of the world, many girls are still subjected to various forms of violence. The CRC notes that girls are still stigmatized by societal inferior status. “They rarely have the opportunity to express their views and concerns, let alone have them taken into account. Many girls are deprived of their inheritance rights, dragged into early or forced marriages, female genital mutilation, trafficking, exploited in the sex trade or in the labour market but this must not be let to go on. Let us all join in the fight against early marriages and look at a girl as just a girl.”

Heath Challenges At Mwange Refugee Camp

Brenda Zulu in Mporokoso

There is no Doctor to attend to over 17,990 refugees based at Mwange Refugee Camp situated 35 Km West of Mporokoso.

United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Senior Field Clerk, Roy Mwamba, said they had faced the challenge of recruiting a doctor and it had been difficult to recruit a doctor as they had been demanding to be paid between K15 million and K20 million a month.

Mwamba said the problem was further perpetuated by Mporokoso the District Health Doctor who did not want to attend to refugees making all referrals to Kasama very difficult. He said the problem had been going on since the beginning of this year. He added that the Doctor had further refused to attend to refugee patients. Efforts to get a comment from the Doctor failed as by press time as he was reported to be in Lusaka.

Meanwhile, Zambia Red Cross (ZRCS) Project Coordinator for Mwange Refugee Project, David Phiri, says the health sector at Mwange Refugee Camp lacks Zambian human resource.

“Currently we have six workers instead of 12. We are few compared to the population at Mwange,” said Phiri. He added that it has been difficult to recruit and retain health staff at Mwange Refugee Camp attributing this to brain drain, which had crippled the health sector.

He pointed out that there was an overload for midwives in doing their job as Mwange Refugee Camp had a high birth rate and recorded 80 to 90 births a day.

Phiri observed that there were too many deliveries for five midwives. Currently there was only one Zambian midwife and the other four were Congolese. Previously there were 17 midwives but the number had reduced following the repatriation of refugees last year.

Constraints highlighted in the ZRCS Mwange Refugee Operation Joint Inter Agency Report include the delay in procurements and shipping of medical, non medical laboratory supplies by UNHCR.

Mwange Camp Health sector has one facility which caters for the whole camp and the local Zambian community. Mwange Health provides curative health care, preventive and reproductive health activities, including HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and TB and Leprosy.

Meanwhile, Mwange Senior Clinical Officer Richard Bwalya said he would like see refugees get fully immunised before their repatriation this year as he was not sure weather this was done in Congo DR.

Bwalya bemoaned the delay in the procurement of medical supplies for the full immunisation of the refugees from the District Health Office. By Press Time the District Health Officer for Mporokoso was reported to have been in Lusaka.

On HIV/AIDS, Bwalya said that they had a very low prevalence rate of 1.2% as they only have 7 people receiving ARVs. He added that there was no report of any disease outbreaks in the camp and the transit centres.

MONICA MAYUNI experience in Uganda

By Monica Mayuni

Leaving Zambia for one year in 2007 had been fruitful to me in a way, in that I got exposed to a number of things from a diversified or different perspective apart from reporting alone.

Although this was not the first time I was getting exposed such kind of exchange programmes, I would say, the one I went for last year was unique, in that it was the first time, I was under such a programme abroad for a longer period.

I arrived in Uganda on May 4, 2007 and was given a thunderous welcome by officials from UMWA and Entebbe international airport.

From the time I arrived up to the time I was ushered to the house I was going to stay in in Buzinga which is about 10 kilometres away from Kampala main city, I was convinced the Ugandans are good people.

To date, I maintain that Ugandans are good people although culture hiccups were there in a way.

The fact that I was prepared for any eventualities including culture shock, nothing really came as a surprise to me.

But let me emphatically state that I enjoyed my stay in Uganda and at UMWA.

The experience that I will never forget is covering her majesty, Queen Elizabeth during the Commonwealth meeting in that Country last October.

Before going for the exchange programme last year, I have had privileges to study for a Diploma in Development Journalism at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), for a certificate in Financial and Business reporting at Wits University in South Africa and I was also seconded to the Guardian Newspaper under the IPP media in Tanzania in 2005 under the exchange programme with the Norwegian Government.

While in Zambia , my major responsibilities have initially been to initiate news ideas and write stories for my Organisation (Zambia Daily Mail).

However, when I went for an exchange programme in Uganda , I was given an opportunity to get exposed to other spheres of work.

In Uganda , I worked both as a journalist and media consultant with Uganda Media Women Association (UMWA) under the auspices of the Norwegian Government.

During my stay in Uganda , I worked both in Kampala and Northern part of Uganda which has suffered 22 consecutive years of war under the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Konie

Some of the major stories I did while in Uganda are as follows:

1. Covering the effects of war in Northern Uganda by interviewing some displaced people in five of the 52 displaced settlements in Gulu ( Northern Uganda ).

2. Covering the 8 th Commonwealth Women Affairs Ministers Meeting (8WAMM) from 10 to 14 th June, 2008.

3. Covering the 4 th International Institute for Peace through Tourism between May 20 through to 24 at Sheraton hotel in Kampala .

4. Covering the 5 th African Conference on Child abuse and neglect.

5. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) between October 22 through to 25, 2007.

To mention but a few, those are some of the assignments that I did while in Kampala .

I was attached to a Radio station called Mama FM Radio in Kampala and I also did some stories for other local print media Organisations like the New Vision and the Monitor newspapers.

Before I went to Uganda , I went to Ethiopia-Addis Ababa for the orientation meeting which was fully sponsored by the Norwegian Government too.

The exchange programme I underwent has proved to be fruitful in that, I have never been the same after sharing our professional experiences from various fields such as health, media, human rights disciplines to mention but a few.

For all the experience I got during the programme, may I give accolades to ZAMWA, the organization that recommended me for the programme, the Norwegian Government for footing all the bills for my up keep while in Uganda FK for coordinating all the programmes and every individual that played a role in my love during my career as a journalist.

Lastly, I would like to thank Zambia daily Mail Management for being so co-operative and helpful in all my professional endevours.

God bless you all.

ZAMWA IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/ AIDS

By Wangari Ndirangu

It goes without saying that the impact of HIV and Aids in any country seriously quashes its social and economic gains.

For more than 20 years now societies have been fighting the deadly pandemic, with governments trying to put together policies, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Church Based Organizations (CBOs) justifying its effect and even scientists trying hard to look for a cure.

In the media world, stories have been carried and continue to be carried on HIV/ Aids. There is no doubt that the media often plays a vital role in the prevention and control of the pandemic by disseminating information. But is gathering the news and disseminating it enough?

The first case of HIV in Zambia was reported in 1984 while HIV was declared a national disaster in 2004 by the Republican President, Dr Levy Patrick Mwanawasa. There is statistical evidence that shows that HIV prevalence in women is higher than that of men. This status has had a negative impact on women. Their lower socio-economic status and cultural dynamics further make it difficult for women to even negotiate for safer sex. The impact on family life has been grave with women as care takers bearing the brunt of the pandemic.

Cultural beliefs especially at the rural areas have contributed to the high proportion of HIV dominance in women making them suffer more discrimination. For those in the rural areas a lot has to be done in terms of intervention especially when it comes to the deadly disease, since most of them are poor and accessing medical treatment as well as information and care is a big challenge.

In 2006 the Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA), an association that highlights and champions’ women issues, embarked on an outreach mission in rural parts of the country to talk and share information on HIV/Aids with women and the disadvantaged who have been infected and affected by the disease.

Their mission was also to assess how HIV/Aids has impacted on the women’s lives in the rural communities of Kapiri Mposhi, Chipata, Monze and Lufwanyama. According to ZAMWA Coordinator, Ms Emelda Yumbe, ZAMWA identified issues such as poverty, lack of health and VCT centres as the problems affecting the communities and the women who were giving care and support to those who were infected or affected

During the trips, ZAMWA provided food stuffs such as mealie meal, kapenta, beans, sugar, cooking oil, tomatoes, and onions among other things to help boost their nutritional needs especially when taking ARVs.

Ms Yumbe added that ZAMWA members on the Copperbelt mobilized the general public who contributed clothes to the affected women and children as well as the vulnerable. ZAMWA also contributed money to a hospice in Mutendere. Ms Yumbe said that after completing the activities, ZAMWA wrote a report to the Zambia National Aids Network (ZNAN) for further action.

Despite the good gesture by ZAMWA a lot more still remains to be done if the fight against HIV has to be won. Media practitioners especially women should not tire to inform educate as well as participate in the fight against the pandemic. There is need to take care of the infected, need to visit, love and also support them all the time and put our efforts together since all of us are in one way or the other infected or affected.

For those of us who wear the red ribbon symbol that has become part of our dress code, let it not be a fashion accessory but a genuine awareness expression in support of those living with the virus, a symbol of sympathy, support and hope for a day without AIDS.

Next time we pin them on our clothes, let’s practice what the ribbon symbolizes for us to achieve an HIV free generation. At the end of it all, “It begins with you”.

MY OVERWHELMING EXPERIENCE AT ZNBC

From L-R: Matimba NKonje, Wangari Ndirangu, Innocent Kalaluka, Chisenga Mumba, Loisa Mbatha and Chomba Yumbe

By Wangari Ndirangu

Naturally, the first days in a new country usually knocks off ones balance, a new language, new faces and new food. A time to become accustomed to the new environment is necessary to be able to find ones bearings, to find one’s way around, and to be able to begin to communicate or even read street signs.

Thus my coming to Zambia was not anything new. The first month of being here saw me learning some bit of the local language of my host country and understanding the culture carried through the language, the basics to survive, to get by on a daily basis and basically to create social links.

The programme arranged for me by my host organization, the Zambia Media Women Association (ZAMWA) saw me going to Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) for my first attachment, which would expose me to different styles of journalism in a foreign land.

Being a print person this was surely going to be different for me although I had done a bit of television features back home but going to ZNBC became a life changing experience for me, both as an individual and a media practitioner.

One thing that I can share and was happy about was not doing the same things I had done back home and that is working in a newsroom , so given an option to choose the department I wanted to operate from, I naturally said production department.

To appear and be part of the Zambia Main TV station in the production department was an enormous achievement for me in my career, and to being given enough space to work was an honour.

My two months at ZNBC found me generating stories on different issues and also traveling widely outside the main city Lusaka. I would cover events and do a 5 minute piece on a programme known as “The Reporter” aired every Friday after the 19.00 hours news and also contribute stories on a programme known as “Kwacha Good Morning Zambia”. I also helped to produce some live programmes.

A work experience placement is a unique way to observe experts in your field and learn how they do it and that is exactly what happened to me. I laid back and learn’t from the best! From there I was able to work and be at ease.

Clear communication and information transfer inside a system is necessary for smooth running of a department. Who is meeting who, who will accompany him or her around … these are usually details in a new place but such important ones and it was proven by the Production guys at ZNBC who made sure that I was not left out wholly.

Working in the production department, operating with “who is who “in the media I should call them celebrities was for me unbelievable “out of this world”. Although I am proud to be Kenyan! The friendship I got from the production department AT ZNBC was only one of its kind, the warmth and the big heart from its community was unimaginable.

As a foreigner, it would have been more difficult for me to get to know the locals by sticking alone or with other outsiders. Locals are usually the ones who can really introduce you not only to a country or city but also to the people who live there. They are the ones who can take you to places where no tourist book knows and reveal some stuff about the places where they have basically grown up just by telling you their stories.

For me, that was exactly what happened! The production crew gave me the feeling of taking the best out of being there and of getting to know the place for real by getting to know them for real.

Last but not least, my two months stint at ZNBC will forever bring good memories. If I had one word to describe my experience there, it would be “Overwhelming”.

Although my completion of attachment to ZNBC was not my leaving Zambia since I will be here for the rest of the year, I cannot fail to mention the tears I shed unashamedly when they threw a party for me. It shows the kind of transparency and how genuine the people are! And the concern is true.

I believe one should work for what she gets. And really nothing was better for me than someone coming up to me and just saying “that was a job well done” in almost all the programmes I engaged in. It’s really cool.

Finally people grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built and that is how I would like my experience to be……………..Long Live FK!

LAND MARK JUDGEMENT ON DEFILEMENT CASE OF MINOR BY HER TEACHER

By Sally Chiwama

“Teacher, Headmaster and the Ministry of Education to pay sexually abused girl K45m ”.

A judge recently made a declaration in the High Court of Zambia that the “Government is responsible for all school going children in the care of it’s agents such as teachers, school authorities and any other person in it’s employment during the time the schools are in session.”

This is in a case in which a minor and her guardian sued a teacher, the Ministry of Education and the school after he was found guilty of rape.

Children trust their teachers

Like all children, pupils almost idolize their teachers, Kalenga Mutale (not real name) 13 innocently asked her teacher for past examination papers as she was about to write her grade nine final exams. Teacher “conveniently” forgot the papers after being asked more than three times, and when it suited him, he told the girl to “come and get them from home” after class. Innocent as she was, Kalenga went to her teachers home to get the past papers and found her teacher listening to music.

“Teacher” then asked Kalenga to take a seat and later asked if she was scared to which she admitted that she was. She then asked about the past papers and he told her to go and get them from another room. She did as she was told but froze in her feet when she opened the curtain (in place of a door) only to find she was looking into bedroom. When she turned to go back “Teacher” was standing in her way blocking her from passing.

Kalenga became scared and asked him what he was doing there, he didn’t flinch and instead started telling the girl that she was pretty and wanted to marry her. “Teacher” then pushed her onto the bed and covered her mouth. Before she knew it the young girl went blank, the next thing “Teacher” put his manhood in her vagina and when she tried to scream, he covered her mouth even harder.

After finishing his business “Teacher” then gives her a stern warning not to tell anybody or else she would be chased from school and he would lose his job.

Kalenga contracts an STI.

She went home but did not tell her Auntie who is her legal guardian because in her mind her Auntie is a difficult person, so she decided to keep the information to herself, before she knew it her private parts started itching. When the itching continued, she decided to go to a clinic, got examined and was given medicine to insert in her vagina and another type to take orally.

The itching persisted and the young girl got scared and went to tell “Teacher” who scolded her that how come he was not getting sick himself. The situation was not getting any better and the young girl did not know what to do or where to go. She decided to tell her class teacher what had happened. In reply this teacher said he knew the story and advised her to report the case to her guardian or else he would reveal himself. Kalenga’s class teacher knew what had been going on as he was a housemate with “Teacher” but decided enough was enough and he had to put an end to this. Thus Kalenga was taken for a medical examination, which included an HIV/AIDS test. Fortunately the results were negative.

Performance dwindles at school.

As the trauma started sinking in, Kalenga’s performance in school started dwindling as she started getting low marks. She told this author that her friends bullied her at school and some would write notes telling her that she was a bad girl and some said, “I was lying about the whole thing and just accusing the teacher.”

“It was really traumatizing for me, because my friends were bulling me and telling me that I was just making up this whole thing and that I just wanted to put the teacher in trouble. I would go home crying,” said Kalenga.

Time to tell

Kalenga’s class teacher put her to task and told her that if she didn’t tell her auntie he would tell her himself as the young girl could not pluck the courage to tell her auntie so the class teacher and his friend called the girl and made a phone call to the auntie. When the auntie answered the phone she started crying instead of talking, so the class teacher spoke to the Auntie and urged her to listen to what her niece had to tell her as soon as she came home from school.

When Kalenga arrived home from school, her auntie was waiting for her at home. Meanwhile a thought crossed her mind that her niece could be pregnant as she could not understand why her niece was scared to talk her.

“When my niece came home, I prayed that she wasn’t pregnant. We started to talk and then she revealed all that her teacher had raped her.”

“I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know what to do, so the first thing that came to my mind was to confront the teacher at his school,” said Kalenga’s auntie.

“The Teacher’s” defense

The “Teacher” testified that he knew the girl and that she was his pupil but denied having carnal knowledge of her although he had wanted to talk to her about something but did not do so for three days.

The teacher also said that the young girl started spreading rumors that she was his girlfriend and that towards Valentines Day the young girl followed him with a bunch of flowers and some chocolate. He then said that he tried to avoid her as he realized that the whole thing would get him in trouble and that the young girl requested to talk to him on several occasions but he declined. The “Teacher” said that the girl wanted to have a relationship with him but declined. However, on cross examination the “Teacher” admitted that the girl was his girl and that she did not propose him. He said that he called the girl his girlfriend because there was a relationship.

Headmaster knew of his teachers conduct.

The next morning auntie and niece decided to go to school and report the case to the headmaster of the school. As they arrived at the headmaster’s office, auntie reported the case and the Deputy Headmaster and a senior teacher were called into the meeting. The “teacher” was also called into this meeting.

The Headmaster told the auntie that he could not blame the girl as she was a minor. The headmaster then reminded the “Teacher” of a previous relationship with another student. The teacher was further asked if he knew the student in question and he answered in the affirmative and that the girl was his girlfriend. Then headmaster further asked the “Teacher” if he knew how old the girl was and if he had had sex with her. The teacher admitted that the girl was 14 years old and could not answer the last question as it was a very difficult one but asked to be forgiven.

The Judge said….

A teacher has moral superiority over his pupils and in any event he cannot be heard when he says the student consented without independent advice. Even in a contractual relationship and that a girl saying that she loved him did not mean that she consented to sex when she is below 16 years of age. The Judge further said that the “Teacher manipulated the girl by deliberately forgetting the past examination papers in order to create an opportunity to sexually abuse her at his home.

The Judge also said that there could be no consent by a child under 16 and that to characterize a valentine card with words ‘if loving you is a sin, then I have committed one’ as consenting to sexual assault is legally, morally and psychologically flawed and that such a perception undermines section 138 of the penal code, and is contrary to the ethics of a teacher not to sleep with school girls, and is psychologically wrong as a child under 16 is not cognitively developed to consent to sex.

Judge finds headmaster “guilty”

The Judge says in his judgment that when children are deposited at school then teacher becomes their parent. That the standard of care owned by the headmaster of a school towards the pupils is that of a careful father towards his own children.

“The headmaster knew that the teacher in question was a sexual pervert and had the victim transferred to another school while the villain was left to go free. Could he have done the same if the pervert was in his household and it became apparent that he was sexually abusing his daughters, would he have left such a matter unreported and still retain the pervert in his household? I don’t think he would have taken a dim view if it had affected his family. His conduct therefore falls below the set standards” read the judgment.

Conclusion

Kalenga through her lawyer submitted that the case was novel and that it was special because it gives the Zambian courts a chance to move the Zambian Government by “Judge Made Law” to strengthen its policy on the protection of the girl child against sexual abuse. That with the advent of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS which have no cure, the chances of millions of girls being infected with this ‘death sentence’ by unscrupulous teachers / headmasters cannot go unabated” part of the judgment read.

The Judge has since awarded Kalenga and her auntie a total of K45 million

Commenting on the judgment Kalenga’s auntie said that she was happy to see that justice had been done and that she wanted to ensure that such a situation does not happen to any child because the emotional scars do not heal. And asked how she felt after the judgment Kalenga said that she felt like a hero for coming out in the open because most girls tend to keep quiet when such things happened to them. She further urged all young girls not to trust any strangers and report any cases of sexual abuse on them.

“Now, I feel like a hero, am now my own ambassador because now am a role model, some girls even come to me for advise”, like one time a girl from school came told me that her uncle had defiled her and asked what she should do. I advised her to tell a family member or see her pastor at church” Kalenga says.

“I also tell my friends not to trust any strangers and that they should come out when something of that sort happens. We have to fight this scourge together because a potential defiler can be anywhere, at school or at home”, said Kalenga with a big smile on her face.

One question remains to be answered though. When parents and guardians know about this landmark judgment and what it means, will they be suing the Ministry of Education? The big question though is “Will the Ministry of Education (MoE) pay for all defilement cases or will they put measures in place to curb this “vice” in the education sector.