The Council of Churches in Zambia-CCZ says the clergy should desist from over spiritualizing things to an extent of not reporting defilement cases in churches which is making victims endure abuse.
CCZ General Secretary Father Emmanuel Chikoya said when any type of abuse happens to anyone, be it a girl child or a boy child, there is need to ensure that the law visits the perpetrators as care for victims is being provided because not everything can be resolved by the church.
In an interview with the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Fr Chikoya said a criminal is a criminal despite wearing a church uniform hence they should be dealt with, in accordance with the law adding that the clergy should desist from beating around the bush when it comes to such issues.
He stated that the church must be a primary defender of vulnerable people and there is also need for deliberate polices in churches to protect the members of respective churches, the women and their children especially because how the church handles such cases can directly reflect how the church views defilement cases among other abuse related cases.
“The victims should as well be making sure that they are consistently there so that the perpetrators are prosecuted because sometimes victims just complain and don’t take matters to the police”, he said.
Fr Chikoya further added that such issues should never be swept under the carpet in churches and the church should offer mechanisms where the young and the old are both safe through deliberate safety policies.
