The Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a 23-year-old woman of Kalingalinga Township to two years simple imprisonment for failing to care for her two month-old baby due to alcohol consumption.

Lusaka Magistrate Faides Hamaundu jailed Martha Liswaniso after finding her guilty of neglecting to provide food, among other requirements for her infant child as she was constantly found in bars.

In this matter, Liswaniso was facing one count of neglecting to provide food for children, contrary to Section 169 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.

Particulars of the offence were that between September 1 and 30, this year in Lusaka, Liswaniso being the parent to a child of tender years and unable to provide for itself, refused or neglected to provide sufficient food and other care so as to injure the health of the child.

Facts in this matter were that between September 1 and 30, Liswaniso’s mother Mukela Mungenisa, 42, reported to Kalingalinga Police about her daughter’s negligence.

It was reported that Liswaniso willfully and unlawfully failed to provide for the child and used to move with the two months-old baby from one bar to another, from morning to sunset drinking beer, without giving the baby food.

She came back around 20:00 hours and failed to enter the house as she was very drunk.

Liswaniso stayed outside and slept leaving the baby helplessly crying for a long time, and after hearing the baby crying, her mother went outside and got the baby.

She tried to wake Liswaniso up, but she was too drunk and started insulting her mother (Mungenisa).

Mungenisa felt bad because of her behaviour and decided to report her daughter to the police on November 11, this year.

When the matter came up, Monday, Magistrate Hamaundu sentenced Liswaniso to two years simple imprisonment effective from the date of arrest.

She said she was sending Liswaniso to prison so that she could reform.

Magistrate Hamaundu noted that neglecting a child at such a tender age was an offence, which needed to be corrected.