Rumphi Police Station has handled more sexual offences in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year.
Rumphi Police spokesperson, Victor Khamisi said last year, the station handled 12 cases while during the same period this year the figure has doubled to 24 .
Khamisi has attributed the rise in reported cases to increased awareness by the public to report suspected perpetrators to the police for action.
He said: “The rise in reported sexual offence cases should not be a cause for concern to the public. The increase is a result of the public being aware of their rights.
“They are opening up to police and each time they detect a crime of such nature in their locality they report to us for appropriate action.”
Khamisi also disclosed that non-governmental organisations fighting gender-based crimes in the district have assisted through public awareness campaigns, provision of mobility to police in times of transport hiccups and in the rehabilitation of victims of the crime.
He cited organisations such as Life Concern Organisation (Lico), Youth Net and Counselling (Yoneco) and Rumphi Women’s Forum, saying they have assisted police in pursuing cases of this nature.
Police in the district recently managed to free a seven-year-old girl from unidentified suspect, currently on the run, who abducted her in Lilongwe and took her to Chinyoro area in the district where he repeatedly sexually abused for almost two months.
The girl was abducted while playing with her friends at her home area at Nsalu in Lilongwe.
