Government says it is cognisant of the prevalence of child marriages in Zambia.
Gender Division Permanent Secretary, Mainga Kabika, pointed that child marriage was a development challenge which limits girls and boys’ social-economic opportunities, limiting their access to education and puts them in a predicament of health problems and further rendering them vulnerable to Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Mrs Kabika said, to combat the challenges that lead to child marriage, Government has come up with a number of interventions which are aimed at eliminating child marriage, in tandem with President Hakainde Hichilema’s commitment to champion ending Child Marriages.
She said this when she joined the first lady of the Republic of Zambia in addressing learners, Parents and other stakeholders in Kazungula District.
“As you may be aware, immediately after 2021 General elections, the Government made a pronouncement in the education sector to implement free education for all policy which is an intervention to end child marriage.
In 2022, the Government enacted the child’s code act that prohibits child marriage by specifically stating that, “No persons shall subject a child to marriage or cultural rites, religious or traditional practices that are likely to negatively affect the child’s life, health, social welfare, dignity, physical or psychological development.”” Ms Kabika said.
Ms Kabika implored parents, teachers, traditional leaders, guardians and other community members to protect children from early marriages.
To deter an upsurge of the vice, the PS further warned perpetrators who intended to marry children, of maximum prison sentence and that the Division did not take lightly anyone found wanting as it would use every efforts to bring such to book.
“I want to call upon the police in our country to ensure that they take keen interest in cases involving child marriages and ensure that such cases are not withdrawn once reported, as this would be a sure way of ensuring that the perpetrators and would be offenders are deterred from committing this act.” She said.
Meanwhile, Mrs Kabika commended the first lady’s office for taking the front line in supplementing Government’s efforts in fighting child marriages, stressing that matters of child marriages were multi-dimensional, which needed cooperating partners and other stakeholders to join hands in order to safeguard the plight of a girl and a boy child.
ENDS
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