by Delphine Zulu
- Zambia -

One of the key challenges facing Zambian female journalists is sexual harassment. “There are very few female Zambian journalists who have not experienced sexual harassment at the hands of male counterparts, [but] few [cases] have been reported,” says Pauline Banda, former Gender Editor at Zambia Daily Mail - one of the country’s biggest papers. She says the resulting frustration forces many female journalists to remain in lower positions or abandon the industry altogether.

by Delphine Zulu
- Zambia -

• Zambian school children. Photograph by Jennifer Milner. •

Because this problem continues to plague Zambia’s children and in addition accelerates the spread of AIDS, Zambia’s High Court judges have urgently called for the amendment of the Defilement Act: the hope is that publicly parading and photographing the offenders will deter them, where prison sentences have not.

At every court in Zambia, whether in lower or higher courts, at least three to four defilement cases are now being handled per session, compared to recent years past, when defilement cases only came before the courts about once every three months.

by Delphine Zulu
- Zambia -

The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Zambia among adults aged 15-49 is currently at 16%. For every infected man, three women are infected with the virus.

by Delphine Zulu
- Zambia -

This year, MORE than 4,000,000 Zambian people, especially in rural areas, will be affected by hunger and will need immediate attention from the Government to save them from starvation. Severe flooding in six major Provinces heavily populated by farmers has threatened food security in the country.