New Bill to address child marriage scourge

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 09:56:12 +0000

By Oscar Malipenga

GOVERNMENT has developed the Marriage and Child Code Bills which will be tabled before Parliament soon in a bid to, among other measures, effectively address child marriages and gender based violence in Zambia, Gender minister Victoria Kalima told Parliament on Tuesday.

Mrs. Kalima, who is Patriotic Front (PF) Kasenengwa Member of Parliament, said the two Bills will also help address the challenges arising from dual marriage laws, namely customary and statutory.

“The Child Code Bill will particularly help address the definition of a child. This is because a child is defined differently in different circles, including at the instances of obtaining national documents such as the green national registration cards, drivers’ licences and voters’ cards, among others,” she said.

Mrs Kalima said this on Tuesday when she delivered a ministerial statement on an update on the programme on ending child marriage and the current state of gender based violence in Zambia.

“I am glad to report that the Patriotic Front government through my ministry has put in place a National Strategy and it Plan of Action on Ending Child Marriage 2016 – 2021 which is aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs),’’ she said.