Lusaka | December 9, 2025 – In a meeting that challenged the ethics of headlines, the National Prosecution Authority today held up a mirror to the nation’s media, laying out a stark choice – tell stories that empower survivors not break them a second time.

With one day left in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Mrs. Monde Muyoba-Chizongo, Senior State Advocate in the Gender Based Crimes and Child Protection Department sat down with journalists from Diamond TV, Crown TV, the Daily Mail, News Diggers, the Times of Zambia, and ZNBC. The discussion centred on one undeniable truth that the tone, language, and accuracy of media reporting critically shape how communities understand GBV and child protection, either strengthening justice or inflicting harm.

“Your reporting holds a profound power,” Mrs. Muyoba-Chizongo stated, framing the day’s urgent dialogue. “It can support survivors, encourage reporting, and strengthen justice. Or it can unintentionally cause re-traumatisation and re-victimisation.”

From this foundation, the meeting forged clear mandates. The first was a plea to kill sensationalism, the exaggerated or emotional reporting that distorts facts, retraumatises survivors, and, most damagingly, discourages other victims from ever coming forward.

The conversation then turned legal and unyielding on the protection of identities, especially for children. Revealing a child’s identity is not merely unethical, it is a punishable offence that actively undermines their safety and dignity for the sake of a headline.

A key change urged was shifting the narrative.
Stories should stop focusing on the victim, which fuels stigma, and instead highlight the actions of the perpetrator.

Amidst the rush to publish, the NPA emphasised that verifying facts is a non-negotiable pillar of justice itself. Accuracy builds the public trust that investigations rely on and prevents misinformation from derailing a case before it even reaches court.

Beyond just narrating incidents, journalists were urged to use their platforms to share crucial information about support services. This transforms a news report from a mere record of trauma into a practical guide, helping survivors know where to seek help.

Finally, the dialogue confronted the digital era’s new frontiers of abuse, detailing offences under the Cyber Crimes Act like child grooming, online trafficking, and cyber harassment. These crimes, the NPA’s Mrs Muyoba-Chizongo stressed, demand a media that is as informed about the virtual world as it is about the physical one.

Today’s meeting made one reality undeniable that the media’s role is not passive. It is an active force that shapes public attitude and response. By choosing responsibility over sensationalism, and solutions over scrutiny, the press can move from simply reporting problems to actively helping shape justice.