Tue, 20 Feb 2018 11:42:46 +0000
By PETER MALASHA
THE 33 girls who were recently withdrawn from Kangili Primary School and married off have since been enrolled back to school, Mkushi District
Commissioner, Luka Mwamba has revealed.
Mr. Mwamba told the Daily Nation that his office would not tolerate early marriages in the area at all costs and perpetrators of the vice risked being prosecuted.
“The department of Social Welfare has taken it up to purchase school uniforms for all the 33 girls except one who has eloped with the husband to Serenje.” Mr. Mwamba said.
He thanked Chief Chitina, Mulungwe, and Shaibila for their support in the campaign against early marriages in their chief doms.
Meanwhile Nshinso ward councillor, Xaviour Chisenga said some parents were still withdrawing their girl-children from school whom they married off due to high poverty levels de- spite sensitisation campaigns.
He told the Daily Nation that the trend was on the increase and rampant in the area because some parents who came from poverty stricken homes did not understand the importance of education.
“Lack of education and not
knowing the importance of education among some parents coupled with poverty at households’ level, are some of the reasons for rampant early marriages being experienced in my ward.” Mr Chisenga explained.
Mr. Chisenga explained that mothers are the major culprits in the act especially those who are not educated as they are discouraging girls to discontinue education because it was not benecial as opposed to marriage.
Councillor Chisenga also attributed the rise in the vice in his ward due to illicit sex and irre- sponsible beer drinking among young people.
Mr. Chisenga has since re- ported the matter to the Victim Support Unit (VSU) so that together with traditional leaders’ they could conduct sensitisation programmes in the area on the negative impact of early marriages especially on a girl child.
