Ntcheu registers increase in defilement cases

Police in Ntcheu say the district has registered an increase in defilement cases.

In an interview, Ntcheu Police Station spokesperson Hastings Chigalu said the cases rose to 30 from 15 during the same period last year.

He said police is encouraging coordination with other stakeholders, including traditional leaders, to fight defilement.

“The battle cannot be won by police alone. So, let us jon hands to end the vice,” said Chigalu.

In a separate interview, Ntcheu YouthNet and Counselling Organisation (Yoneco) programme support manager Sewenthe Mahwayo said they recorded 170 gender-based violence between January and June. He said 10 of the cases were defilement.

Mahwayo said: “We conduct community sensitisation and provide psychosocial support to the victims.

“We have also encouraged the children to report to us using Yoneco toll free lines as some of the cases involve fathers who are breadwinners and mothers tend not to report.”

Meanwhile, police and Yoneco have appealed to other stakeholders to take the fight against defilement seriously.

They have also urged mothers to pay attention to their children and closely supervise them.