ZANZIBAR recorded a 30.8 percent increase in gender-based violence (GBV) cases in April 2025 compared to the previous month, according to newly released government statistics.

Presenting the April 2025 GBV report to reporters here yesterday at the Office of the Chief Government Statistician, Ahmada Suleiman from the Division of Gender and Employment Statistics said a total of 102 cases were reported in April, up from 78 cases in March.

Children made up the majority of victims—accounting for 83.3 percent—followed by women (15.7 percent) and men (1.0 percent), he noted.

Suleiman said Urban District in Unguja recorded the highest number of cases at 16 (15.7 percent), followed by West A District with 15 cases (14.7 percent). The districts with the fewest reported incidents were West B and Micheweni in Pemba, each recording four cases (3.9 percent).

Rape remained the most reported form of abuse. Urban and West districts led with 11 rape cases each—representing 15.5 percent of all reported rape cases in April.

Out of the 71 total rape incidents, 63 victims were girls (88.7 percent) while eight were adult women (11.3 percent), highlighting the vulnerability of minors.

Suleiman also reported that two people with intellectual disabilities were subjected to sexual violence in April. The incidents were reported from South District and Micheweni in Pemba.

Regarding legal action, Suleiman said that 95 out of the 102 cases (93.1 percent) were under police investigation. Two cases have been closed (2.0 percent), four with the Director of Public Prosecutions (3.9 percent), and one case has been filed in court (1.0 percent).

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions received 52 case files in April. Of these, 21 were approved for prosecution, 12 recommended for closure, 13 returned to the police for further investigation and six are pending a decision.

In the same period, Zanzibar’s courts registered 23 new GBV cases. Of these, 21 remain ongoing while two were concluded with payment of fines and compensation.

Omar Haji Omar, Head of Community Development Division in the Ministry of Gender, Elders and Children, said the government has introduced a special programme to offer psychological support to GBV survivors to help ease mental trauma.

“The aim is to help survivors regain emotional stability and restore their quality of life,” he said, noting the serious mental toll that such abuse can cause.

Inspector Makame Haji from Zanzibar Police Headquarters attributed the rise in abuse cases to a growing neglect by parents and guardians in monitoring their children’s behaviour.

“There’s an urgent need for parents to take an active role in supervising their children and reviving moral upbringing practices to protect them from abuse,” he said.