ZAMBIANS who are now calling for castration of men that defile minors may not be totally off the mark because this form of human cruelty is certainly getting out of hand.
Defilement is hideous, callous, and the issue of castration of child defilers should not be taken frivolously for the sake of the future of Zambia.
We remember the Zambian Parliamentary Select Committee on Legal Affairs, Governance, Human Rights and Gender matters, who once recommended for the castration of men who defile children.
This is because the abuse of minors sexually has also become a fad in some men with sick minds evidenced by the rising cases of child defilement as they daily continue to make headlines in the media.
It is somehow assuring that Government has intentions to introduce a bill on sexual offences in response to hollers by the people for macro-intervention altho0ugh it appears to be still stuck on the drawing board for unknown reasons.
Ok there are those schools of thought who think that Parliament should not enact laws that cannot reform perpetrators or suspects because that will instead deform defilers further.
Even our Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development has also suggested in recent past that where a defiled child contracts HIV, the charge should be changed to murder.
Not long ago, a 50 year-old Lusaka man forced himself on a three-year-old-girl. This provoked huge demos by Zambians who called for tauter punishments against child defilers and sexual abusers.
We again recall Zambian women who took to the streets, marching, brandishing knives and machetes, openly signifying how sexual organs of defilers should be chopped off by castration.
We remember too Women for Change, an independent womens movement in Zambia, demanding a thoughtful statement from government on defilement because children and young girls were no longer safe.
Even our Bishop John Mambo, at one time said the church should not compromise on defilement or rape because something had gone wrong in the body of Christ.
And now, 23 year old Monze man has appeared in court for defiling a 4 year minor and freely adds his name to barefaced book of defilers in Zambia
Appearing before Magistrate Leah Kabalata, is Mr Abraham George Samba, a shopkeeper from Manungu Compound, in Monze District, charged with Child Defilement contrary to section 138(1) of the penal code chapter 87 of the laws of Zambia.
Particulars of the offence are that between February and May, Samba had unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl child under the age of 16.
Giving testimony, the arresting officer, Constable Charity Hazeele, recalled that on June 3, she received a complaint of defilement from the victim’s mother, who suspected that her daughter was being defiled, but only believed it when she caught the accused in the act.
Samba has denied the allegations but admitted to being left alone with the victim on several occasions and that after investigation, Constable Hazeele gathered enough evidence and arrested the man.
It is against this background that we somehow support such measures to be effected as soon as possible to deter would-be offenders. Zambia could in fact consider castrating these beasts with the use of chemicals so that the message can penetrate deeper.
