PSAf urges stiffer punishment for teachers sexually abusing pupils

PANOS Institute Southern Africa (PSAf) is urging educational authorities in Zambia to consider stiffer punishment for teachers and other guardians who sexually abuse and defile pupils under their care. 

Lilian Kiefer, the Executive Director says, media reports of teachers, parents or guardians abusing pupils have become a daily occurrence. Many stories of such abuses go untold. While the authorities have repeatedly condemned this defilement and abuse, it appears the warnings are falling on deaf ears, judging by the unabated pace at which the scourge continues. 

She says, “what is saddening is that most of these abuses do not only hurt the children physically, they also subject them to immense mental torture and destroy the destiny of innocent children, while the perpetrators get on with their lives. This is unacceptable.” 

PSAf is urging Zambian authorities to learn from the Kenya Teachers Services Commission (TSC) who this recently barred aa total of 126 Kenyan teachers from teaching for the rest of their lives for engaging in sexual relations with students, among other forms of misconduct. Ninety-six of the teachers were found guilty of having sexual relations with their students. 

Ms Kiefer says, “taking advantage of Zambia’s re-entry policy that allows for pregnant pupils to return to school after maternity leave and the teacher’s influential position in the communities coupled with an ignorant rural community, some teachers are defiling pupils whom they promise marriage or pay off their poor parents. In some cases, the teachers take advantage of the high levels of poverty among parents of the affected pupils. ”

The media has reported several cases that involved teachers abusing sexually pupils in both their class offices and homes. Just this week the media reported that a male pupil from Choma’s Pangwe Basic School stopped school after being sexually abused by his female class teacher. 

“PSAf therefore feels that bad elements in the teaching service that abuse their teaching roles to sexually abuse children should be removed to protect the child from unnecessary trauma, abuse and risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV,” says Ms Kiefer.

PSAf knows that the child’s rights to education, protection and freedom from harm should not be allowed to be negatively tempered with if Zambia is to have healthy well grown up citizens. 

Strengthening child protection systems in our communities should be our focus in order to effectively stamp out bad behaviour that denies the child rights to a safe and healthy child hood in Zambia. 

The school and its grounds should be one of the safe places in which Zambian children find solace. For that reason PSAf is empowering ten community radio stations in rural areas and their communities to educate communities on protecting the rights of the child. The project also helps to bring together various child protection stakeholders to work in a coordinated manner in ensuring that that systems designed to protect the child are effectively strengthened and implemented. Children are the future of this country and we must all play our pat in creating a better environment for them to grow and realise their dreams.