The Jubilee Scandal is simply this: after 50 years of self-rule, millions of Zambian women are still illiterate and 41% of them are young women between the ages of 15-24! The current jubilee celebrations ought to be taken as the beginning of the new culture in which all citizens will be respected. Post-Jubilee 2014 Zambia should leave no citizen behind. To a great extent, Zambia will not develop without protecting the Girl Child and empowering Women to become active development and economic agents.
Across the continent, women are used as tools to maintain male power. In our 50 years of self-rule, women bodies have been disrespected. In education, political life, and church teachings, violence against women is viewed as normal. Sexual harassment and rape are daily occurrences in every community—we need to change course.
According to UNICEF, over half of Zambia’s population (7.5 million) is under the age of 18 years. Although over 96 percent of Zambia’s children enroll in primary school, 41 percent of young females between the age of 15 and 24 are still illiterate. Besides, the illiteracy rate is much higher in rural areas than urban communities. These threatening illiteracy rates are a national scandal that needs instant attention.
Moreover, thousands of women are victims of Gender Based Violence. Sexual abuse of the girl child and sexual harassment of women show no sign of slowing down. This situation is not just shameful, but also detrimental to national development.
Brigham Young was right—when you educate a man; you educate a man. But when “you educate a woman; you educate a generation.” Investing in the girl child and women’s education is critical to national development and democracy.
African cultures may be misogynistic, and colonialism and Christianity could have legalized and sacralized misogyny, as Riane Eisler rightly documented in The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future—but it is time we confronted this injustice. Although Church related women’s groups such as the Mothers’ Union in the Anglican Church, and The Women’s Christian Fellowship (formerly known as KBBK), in the United Church of Zambia, often promote Victorian and colonial values that demean women in some cases, the objectification of women bodies needs theological reflections and prophetic responses. A good woman is not the one who abides by patriarchal norms, but the one who realizes her full humanity or ubuntu.
According to the United Nation Development Program (UNDP), women are highly under-represented in Zambian politics. Although women are the majority, and “provide 70% of the labour in the Zambian agriculture sector,” they only represent “14% of the Parliament.” This under-representation is reflected in how women politicians are treated and viewed. Hon. Edith Nawakwi, the president of Forum for Democracy and Development for example, has much to offer to the nation but misogynistic attitudes that influence Zambian politics have made it hard for her to command a mass following.
Zambian politicians disrespect women too—in most cases, bribing women with foodstuffs, salt, traditional chitenge fabric, or T-shirts ensures election victory. Does providing clothes with ugly portraits of male politicians show admiration for women voters or mere opportunism? Perhaps politicians know that empowering and educating illiterate and poverty-stricken women in democracy will result in fewer dancing cadres at their rallies.
Likewise, we, male religious leaders know too well that empowering women would threaten our hold on power in most church related institutions. Hence, it is futile to expect us to address this problem holistically.
Yet, the post-jubilee Church should take a lead in women’s empowerment. Religious leaders should demand that all perpetuators of sexual abuse and domestic violence are brought to justice regardless of their socio-economic status. For instance, when Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, aka. GBM assaulted his wife in 2010, and defended his actions by claiming that “beating a wife is acceptable” as a sign of love, the Church should have openly opposed and denounced his 2011 appointment to the Sata administration Cabinet on moral grounds.
Because we men won’t surrender our unearned male privileges, the nation should adopt gender proportional representation in parliament and in other elected bodies. Equally important, the nation should adopt the UNDP Gender Equality Strategy, which seeks to integrate “gender equity and equality in the socio-economic development process by 2030.”
The call to adopt more women as candidates for public office is not enough—we need affirmative action. If the nation wants women’s voices on the table of economics and politics, there is a need to do what is right and just—adopt affirmative action in churches and all socio-economic and political institutions. We men have failed the nation and the Church—it is time women saved mother Zambia and God’s Church from power hungry men!
By Rev. Canon Dr. Kapya John Kaoma
Perhaps the Government should enact a law that ‘ No child should be left behind’ in terms of school attendance. Further, it should be criminal for anyone marrying a girl under the “age”. Traditional leaders should be sensitised on these matters. Messengers should be sent to every village to take this message. In towns, parents whose children do not go to school should be punished. And then finally, GRZ should make school attendance really free. With these measures, we may go somewhere.
Zambia people would rather seek advice from fake prophets and spend time improving their circumstances.
Its not just women. This why we are getting wrong. Zambia need to do it for both girl and boy child without promoting GBV against a boy child.
What is it with this *****ic phrase “Girl Child”? Stop it.
We know you; this the kind of language you use to get funds from donors. Funds which you evetually use on yourself.
GBM is a thug and not the type of character that is supposed to be a leader let alone a minister, yes alot must be done to improve opportunities for the girl child but let us learn from our mistakes in the past, so many songs were sang about the girl child during the Chiluba regime, we had the likes of Vera running around the country donating Chitenges, today we say we are improving things but look at what is happening these young girls are being impregnated while they are at school meaning this PF government is indeed trying its level best but the problem lies with where the girls are living, their neighbourhoods etc is where we are having these problems, there are too many idle young men doing nothing but trying to have sex with young ladies, the music by the like of dandy crazy etc.ctn
..ctn..these musicians are not helping at all, whenever there is a live concert by the likes of Pilato, Dandy Crazy, Macky2 and these other noise makers expect a few young and naive school going girls to attend and hot on heir heels are useless immoral and excited young boys, in many cases even men much older than these girls are responsible for the pregnancies. So what I’m saying here is inorder for us to improve things for the girl child we need the menfolk and young boys to be educated in other words imwe ma guysi lekeni abana bakule napapata please…