OVER 300 men battered by their wives on the Copperbelt

OVER 300 men were battered by their wives on the Copperbelt this year, Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) Copperbelt regional co-ordinator Sharon Chisanga has said.
Ms Chisanga said the men were also denied conjugal rights for allegedly being irresponsible.
Ms Chisanga said in an interview yesterday that Copperbelt also recorded 1,870 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) this year.

She said YWCA is happy that men who are battered by their wives have started opening up.
“Most of the women who are perpetrators of this vice against their husbands are those in employment and those who are in business. They leave their husbands at home and when they knock off and find them drunk, it is ‘total war’, they are beaten, denied conjugal rights and food, which is not good,” Mrs Chisanga said.
She said YWCA is flooded with complaints from men who are harassed by their wives.

“It is sad that cases of GBV are on the increase in the province. We must all, as stakeholders, join hands to address this vice, which is slowing the economic and social development of the country,” she said.
Ms Chisanga urged couples to amicably resolve marital disputes.
“We have husbands who have come to our offices complaining that they have been beaten, denied food and conjugal rights by their wives. This is not good. You cannot beat your husband, on top of that you deny him food and sex. We are equally urging husbands not to deny their wives sex,” Ms Chisanga said.
Ms Chisanga also advised jobless men to seek employment as opposed to drinking beer while their wives are toiling.

She urged husbands not to feel ashamed to report GBV cases.
“We are equally concerned that women and children have continued to suffer violence at the hands of some ruthless men. We are calling on both men and women, including children, not to feel ashamed when they suffer any form of GBV. They must report such cases to the police so that the law can take its course,” she said.
YWCA is actively working with Government and other stakeholders to curb GBV.