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Zambian women are being treated like they’ve no brains – Nawakwi

Zambian women are being treated like they’ve no brains – Nawakwi
Written by George Chellah and Patson Chilemba
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 4:27:26 PM

ZAMBIAN women are being treated like they have no brains, Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi has said. In an interview, Nawakwi said men in Zambia tend to be vicious.

"We must look at Zambian women who are being treated like they have no brains. Whether we have the women movement or not, I think it's wrong for the President to start chasing this young mother, Chansa Kabwela. The President wants this young mother to go to jail for sympathizing with the suffering women," Nawakwi said.

"Men in this country tend to be vicious because it's the men who have the power. With this viciousness where you are unleashing out the entire police machinery on a lone young mother... this viciousness is meant to silence this young mother. Under these very vicious conditions, do you think these women will come out? They have jobs to protect and families to protect."

Nawakwi said she expected President Banda to apologise to Zambians over the incident of pictures.

"Some of us work near Soweto market and we see these things every day. These things are happening on a daily basis and a woman is trying to say that these things are happening you can't say that's pornography," Nawakwi said.

"The government or the President should have apologised to the women he met. And it shouldn't have been a subject of the press conference. None of these men knows the importance of a delivery bed. They have really left us behind because they have never been in a labour ward."

And Nawakwi charged that Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde was fond of working on instructions from those in authority.

Commenting on the arrest of Post news editor Kabwela by police who are working on President Banda's directive to do so, Nawakwi said Kabwela had been a victim of Kabonde's unprofessional conduct of working on instructions from those in authority.

"Kabonde as IG is fond of working on instructions. In 2001, he was instructed to teargas me at Kafue Roundabout. I was standing next to him, and he got a radio message that 'what are you doing with that woman? Can you teargas her.' He moved forward from where he was standing next to me and tear-gassed me. When I went to his office that 'why did you do that,' he came up with all sorts of explanations," Nawakwi narrated.

"He is just protecting his job. Deep down his heart, he knows that Kabwela is innocent, but he only responds to instructions from us politicians. He is working on instructions from the President."

Nawakwi said the action by The Post to distribute the pictures of a woman who was giving birth was done out of sympathy.

"President Rupiah Banda, who is a friend of mine, instead of harassing the young lady, should target attention to his ministers who have allowed money to be looted. He should buy ambulances and not hearses. To prosecute an innocent sympathiser is a criminal offence," she said.

Nawakwi said every day the nation was experiencing cases where women were giving birth on wheelbarrows and in public because of insufficient health facilities.

"I think the church should go to Rupiah Banda and pray with him that what the young mother did is not pornography," said Nawakwi.

Police on Monday arrested and charged Kabwela with circulating obscene matters with the intention to corrupt morals of society.

The charge against Kabwela is that of circulating obscene matters with the intention to corrupt the morals of society, contrary to section 177 1 (b) CAP 87 of the Penal Code.

The pictures of a woman in childbirth were not published by The Post but were instead sent to Vice-President George Kunda, Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja, Minister of Health Kapembwa Simbao, Women for Change (WfC), Non-Governmental Organisation Coordinating Council (NGOCC) and the Archbishop of Lusaka to enable them address the problem of the strike by health workers which lasted for over a month.

Section 177 1 (b) CAP 87 of the Penal Code states that: "Any person who- (b) imports, conveys or exports, or causes to be imported conveyed or exported, any such matters or things, or in any manner whatsoever puts any of them in circulation is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for five years or to a fine of not less than fifteen thousand penalty units nor more than seventy five thousand penalty units."

Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, EDITH NAWAKWI, THE POST, WOMEN

posted by MrK @ 3:27 PM