Chief Chamuka of the Lenje speaking people of Central province has advised men to “man-up” and report to relevant authorities when they have been battered by their spouses.
And Chief Chamuka has called on traditional leaders in the country to take a leading role in the promotion of sexual health.
Speaking at Kabwe’s Pizo Lodge on the side-lines of the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) national launch, Tuesday, Chief Chamuka observed that it was cultural for men not to report cases of Gender-Based violence (GBV) when they were the victims.
He said it was now time for men to come out of their cocoons and begin to report cases of GBV so that women who were culprits were also made to account for their actions.
“We always receive a lot of complaints from the women regarding GBV but we rarely receive complaints from the men. It is cultural. Man is usually shy to report that he has been battered by the wife. What I am encouraging men, is that they should not feel shy but instead they should come out of that cocoon and report cases of GBV in the event where they have been battered by their wives,” Chief Chamuka said.
The traditional leader said if men remained silent when they were victims of GBV, they would not receive the much needed help.
“Men also need to enjoy their marriages, not just the other way round. Men and women have equal human rights and because we have equal human rights, men should always report when they are being mistreated. If men who are victims of GBV do not report, society and relevant authorities will not know the extent of the problem and help will not be forthcoming,” he said.
And Chief Chamuka appealed to traditional leaders in the country to take a lead in promoting sexual health.
He said traditional leaders would be irrelevant if they failed to encourage their subjects to embrace a healthy lifestyle.
“We are called traditional leaders because of the people we are leading. If our subjects die, for example, as a result of cervical cancer or HIV/AIDS; we shall become irrelevant in society. So we need to be change champions in our societies,” said Chief Chamuka.
