Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare (MGECW), Doreen Sioka said there is no need for women to dump new-born babies or kill them, as they should rather take them to the ministry so that persons that are willing to want to take care of them, can be given the opportunity to do so. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Sioka said the ministry will find alternative ways to fight baby dumping and that Parliamentarians’ involvement is also needed in the fight against baby dumping and gender-based violence (GBV). “Violence against children is a thorn in the flesh and great concern to the government and the public at large. If you are not able to care for the babies, please bring them to the ministry so that we find individuals who will be able to care for them. I also urge survivors of GBV to always seek help to be counselled in order to continue living a productive life,” she said. Sioka added that young couples should talk to experts whenever they feel they are about to commit acts of GBV to avoid hurting each other. There is minimal involvement of Parliamentarians when there are campaigns against GBV by members of the community, Sioka said. Over the past few years, the MGECW has put in place various measures aimed at addressing GBV and the ministry, along with its stakeholders, continues to sensitise and train community members such as the youths, adults, traditional leaders and gender-focal persons on gender-related issues. “As I am speaking here now, there could be a campaign against GBV going on somewhere but we as lawmakers are not present. Irrespective of all the efforts, I, however, tend to think that maybe sometimes campaigns and services come in late, that as families, neighbours and communities we may find ourselves not acting faster so as to ensure that couples are helped before killing each other or before babies are dumped or killed,” she said. She added that she is by no means blaming the communities for GBV but rather urging people to start treating signs of GBV between people in relationships as an urgent matter and report them to the relevant authorities. -NAMPA