By Abubakar Kanjoka
Kasungu, August 21, Mana: Central East Region Police Commissioner, Rhoda Manjolo, has encouraged female officers to report gender-based violence (GBV) acts which they encounter in their families.
Manjolo said this in Kasungu on Saturday during an orientation of Central East Police Women Welfare members from Kasungu on issues of GBV and women empowerment.
She said despite that spouses of police officers experience different acts of violence in their homes, just like any other women in the society, but mostly choose not to report because of fear.
“We must emphasise that police officers must be exemplary in ensuring that their homes are violence free. If our husbands happen to be the perpetrators of such malpractices, we should not hesitate to report them so that they face the law.
“Equally, as women, we must support and encourage our husbands. As much as there is no justification for violence, we must not be those confusionists that bring misunderstandings that trigger violence in families,” she said.
She said with the nature of their job, police officers need to have a sober and stable psychological state which can be made possible if there is love, peace and harmony in their families.
Manjolo also encouraged the women to venture into small businesses so that they are self-reliant and able to provide basic necessities without depending on their husbands.
“Small-scale businesses will enable us to be independent and very supportive to our families, and men fear to abuse such kind of spouses,” she said.
Chairperson for the group’s Kasungu chapter, Esther Mpakiza, thanked the region’s management for arranging the orientation saying it will help change their homes for the better.
She said: “This training has been an eye opener for us as we were reminded of our roles on how to best manage our homes, specifically in taking care of our spouses and children.
“With the stress management counselling we have received today, there is hope that we will be able to improve the way we manage difficult circumstances without triggering family conflicts. This way we will prevent GBV.”
Mana/ak/wt/ccm/pk
