A 45 year-old widow of Lufwanyama district on the Copperbelt has cited poverty as one of the driving forces of early marriages in the area.
Mrs Maureen Kantu told Gender and Child Development Deputy Minister, Esther Banda, during a sensitization meeting that most parents end up forcing their children into early marriages due to lack of financial resources to support their education.
She observed that although a number of girls are married off after getting pregnant, some of them are forced into early marriages due to failure by their parents to pay for their education.
Mrs Kantu also lamented that despite people in the area being hard working, they have challenges in finding market for their agricultural produce due to the poor road network.
She, however, commended the government for embarking on a sensitization programme of women on how they could benefit from the various empowerment programmes that exist under government ministries.
Mrs Kantu noted that the initiative will go a long way in enhancing the financial position of women.
And Gender and Child Development Deputy Minister, Esther Banda, has urged women of Lufwanyama to get organized through women clubs so that they could benefit from the business opportunities that will be created through the opening of a boarding high school and a hospital in the district.
Mrs Banda noted that once opened, the two institutions will create a market which women could exploit through their clubs.
She said government was fully aware of the challenges being faced by women and is doing everything possible to empower them economically so that they can look after their families.
The deputy Minister also assured the women that the tarring of the Kalulushi-Lufwanyama road once completed will resolve the difficulties people face when taking their produce to the market.
ZANIS
give education to all n poverty il end.he gvt shud fight for this
Agreed education is a factor but for too long we have not planned well enough how to make the smallest of communities self supportive. Help them to grow food, rear animals. Supply clean water, access to health care and education. The young girls are most at risk. How do we get the point across that marrying them off only brings new mouths to feed and a repetition of the cycle. It is exasperating to see this on one side and then wastage of resources and apathetic mindsets from those who could make the greatest difference. I guess it’s one step at a time but this should be the impetus to close loopholes and raise our stake when selling our resources. They are entitled to benefit from every mineral we sell…
Men wanna marry late because of poverty and  because of poverty women wanna be married early.Â
Gold digger type of thinking
SO DO THESE MEN WHO MARRY THESE GIRLS WEALTHY? IF THEY ARE EQUALLY POOR THEN WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
No.# 5: You have a point, mostly you are going to find that the men they are getting married to are just as poor as they are. It’s just moving from one poverty state to another. Shame!
ABSOLUTE NONSENSE!