Friday, March 29, 2024

Early marriages worry Gwembe headman

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Young girls who dropping out of School to become mothers (File Picture)

Senior headman Siabbamba of Gwembe district has observed that empowering of youths in rural areas will significantly help reduce crime and early marriages among the rural population.

And headman Siabbamba has described early marriages among rural girls of school-going age as disturbing.

Speaking to ZANIS in Gwembe district, Silent Siandunda Siabbamba, noted that it was sad that youths have now turned into goat rustlers because of lack of social-economic activities and amenities to engage in.

Mr Siabbamba said the introduction of loan facilities to youths in remote areas would enable them grow into responsible and productive youths.

He explained that there was need to empower youths with fishing nets and boats in his area so that they could engage into profitable fishing activities

Meanwhile, headman Siabbamba said early marriages among girls of school-going age in rural area have contributed to high levels of pupils dropping out of school.

He attributed this to low levels of education and economic activities among their parents.

Senior headman Siabbamba has called on government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to consider empowering rural women with economic skills that would enable them empower their children with education.

“Women need help by way of club formation in my area. They need income to educate their children,” he said.

He said he desired to see more youths, especially girls, acquire decent education.

Meanwhile, senior headman Siabbamba has called on government to consider constructing a clinic in his area.

He said people in his area cover a distance of 14 kilometres to get to Sinafala clinic and 17 kilometres to access treatment at Chisanga health post.

The traditional leader observed that Siabbamba is an ideal location for the construction of a clinic because it was centrally located.

He said maternal mortality rate is rife in his area as expectant mothers have to cover a long distance to get to health facilities.

He added that impassable roads further worsen the already bad situation.

[ZANIS]

6 COMMENTS

  1. What age does it constitute early marriage according to zambian standards? Maybe these men are bendelelaling the young ones because these older females out here have got too much buggage and problems. Most of the women out here are retiring from whoredom and looking for marriage, I would rather find a fresh young girl without a checkered past and without bastard child to wife at 21 than an older chick who has been ran through by half of lusaka

  2. This problem is a universal one except here its not early marriage per se but early pregnancies.Go to Brocklyn or Harlem,you find 14 year old baby mamas.Thats the reason abortions were legalised……its a pity

  3. Wanzelu, are you saying we should legalise abortion? I really sometimes get frustrated by some reasoning from some bloggers.
    The main solution lie in the sentiments of this village headman. Rural leaders such as village headmen need to be helped with community based sensitisation programmes on the dangers of early marriages and being pregnant at an early age. In addition, creating activities that allow the already married and children bearing girls acquire skills and earn money to send their children to schools will mitigate the vicious cycle of early marriages that most rural girls are trapped in.

  4. What eles is there to do in rural areas where there are no schools, no teachers, no incomes. They live the way my great grand parents did – marry at 14, have 20 children until 44, lose some, keep others. Send some to a relative in “town”, keep others to till the land and keep 4 herds of cattle. Wait for rain and once in a while welcome friends and relatives from “town”. It’s called susbistence living in rural areas all over the world, not just the beautiful valley of Gwembe!

  5. The past two weeks in spain a girl of 10 years gave to a baby.But for our country pa zed a lot is involved for this girls. They just like to much uku tomba,tomba….

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