{"id":6072,"date":"2026-06-29T09:43:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T07:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/?p=6072"},"modified":"2026-06-29T09:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T07:43:52","slug":"violence-against-women-in-elections-is-a-crime-report-it-help-is-just-a-free-call-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/2026\/06\/29\/violence-against-women-in-elections-is-a-crime-report-it-help-is-just-a-free-call-away\/","title":{"rendered":"VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN ELECTIONS IS A CRIME. REPORT IT. HELP IS JUST A FREE CALL AWAY."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lusaka | June 27, 2026 &#8211; As Zambia prepares for the August 13, 2026 General Elections, the Gender Based Crimes and Child Protection Department of the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) is reminding the public that every citizen has the right to participate in the electoral process free from violence, intimidation and harassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elections should be a time for citizens to freely exercise their democratic rights, not a time for fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Women have an equal right to vote, campaign, stand for public office and express their political views without facing abuse or discrimination. Any form of violence directed at women because of their participation in elections is unlawful and should be reported immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Violence Against Women in Elections (VAWE) refers to any act that harms, threatens, intimidates or unfairly targets a woman because she is participating in the electoral process.<br>This may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Demanding sexual favours in exchange for political opportunities or support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Threatening or insulting women online because of their political views or party affiliation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sharing false information, private images or defamatory content intended to shame or silence female candidates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preventing women from attending political meetings, speaking at campaign events or accessing campaign resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Physical assault, intimidation, stalking or threats against women who choose to vote, campaign or contest elections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such conduct is not only harmful, it is a criminal offence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Need Help? Call for Free<br>If you experience, witness or know of Violence Against Women in Elections, assistance is available 24 hours a day.<br>Call 933.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service is free on Airtel, MTN and ZAMTEL, even if you do not have airtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you call, trained counsellors from Lifeline\/Childline Zambia will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Listen to you in confidence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help you assess your immediate safety.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Connect you with the Police, medical services, legal assistance or safe shelter where necessary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help document your report for appropriate action and referral.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You do not have to be the victim to make a report. If you witness violence or believe someone is at risk, your call could help prevent further harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The National Prosecution Authority is committed to ensuring that perpetrators of gender-based violence are held accountable. Reporting incidents promptly helps law enforcement agencies respond quickly, protect victims and preserve evidence needed to prosecute offenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every report contributes to safer elections for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Zambia heads to the polls on August 13, 2026, let us all play our part in promoting peaceful, inclusive and violence-free elections where every woman can participate without fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you need help or wish to report Violence Against Women in Elections, call 933 today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">National Prosecution Authority<br>Gender Based Crimes and Child Protection Department, Working in partnership with Lifeline\/Childline Zambia, UNFPA, UNICEF, the Government of Zambia and cooperating partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lusaka | June 27, 2026 &#8211; As Zambia prepares for the August 13, 2026 General Elections, the Gender Based Crimes and Child Protection Department of the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) is reminding the public that every citizen has the right to participate in the electoral process free from violence, intimidation and harassment. Elections should be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"class_list":["post-6072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6072"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6073,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6072\/revisions\/6073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6072"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=6072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}