Thursday, March 28, 2024

Chieftainess Nawaitwika slams NGOs for giving contraceptives to schoolgirls

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Chieftainess Nawaitwika
Chieftainess Nawaitwika

CHIEFTAINESS Waitwika of the Namwanga people in Nakonde district in Muchinga Province has asked non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to revisit the administration of contraceptives to schoolgirls in the name of preventing unwanted pregnancies as it is contributing to moral decay in the country.

She said in an interview yesterday that a number of unmarried girls in her chiefdom are on long-acting contraceptives provided by some NGOs which have made them to indulge in sex.

“I have noticed that girls, especially those who got pregnant but went back to school after delivery, are put on contraceptives to prevent them from conceiving again. I feel this is just promoting immorality,” Chieftainess Waitwika said.

She said some of girls who started taking contraceptives from childhood have complained of difficulties to conceive when they get married.

Chieftainess Waitwika said it is unfortunate that most girls are no longer scared of engaging in sex.

“Some girls are given everything by their parents but you tend to wonder why they still go out to sleep around for money and sometimes just pleasure,” she said.

Chieftainess Waitwika said the best way to help girls is to continue offering them counsel on the importance of living a morally upright life instead of shielding them by providing contraceptives which are better off being used by married people and adults.

She said discouraging early marriages is working out by way of giving people correct information.

“Some people are finding it difficult to move away from marrying off children early because it has been a tradition from way back. So, we have started punishing parents who marry off their daughters early and we also get back those girls into school and good results are being achieved,” Chieftainess Waitwika said.

9 COMMENTS

  1. From grade 10 I was given condoms to give my boyfriend if he wanted to use them.

    Thank goodness he never did and I actually just didn’t want him to use them.

    Mum gave me two and after a term I would return them to show her they weren’t used and like me she was happy.

    My point is – this is fine and it should be encouraged.

    Thanks

    BB2014,2016

  2. CHIEFTAINESS NAWAITWIKA IS 101% RIGHT. DON’T LET THE WESTERN WORLD DESTROY THE CULTURAL FABRIC OF ZAMBIA (AND THE WHOLE AFRICA), THROUGH NGOs. NGOs PROPAGATE THEIR SPONSORING COUNTRIES POLICIES EVEN IF THE DON’T SUIT INTO THE ZAMBIAN WAY OF LIFE CULTURALLY, TRADITIONALL AND RELIGIOUSLY. AMERICA IS AMERICA AND NOT ZAMBIA. AMERICA KNOWS WHAT SUITS AMERICA IN THE CONTEXT OF AMERICA’S LIFE-STYLE. ZAMBIA KNOWS WHAT SUITS IT IN THE CONTEXT OF CULTURE, TRADITIONS AND RELIGION. ANYTHING OUT OF THIS CONTEXT MUST NEVER BE ACCEPTED.

  3. Mushota are you sure you did not just buy two condoms to take back to your mum just to make her believe you did nothing with your boy friend? Were was this anyway?UK or Zambia?

  4. upright living is what society would want and there would be no need for contraceptives and condoms, but reality is otherwise. This calls for drastic measures, which in our traditional culture is taboo. Reality is that not all will abstain from indulging in sex. Reality is, whether we choose to open or close our eyes, many school girls get pregnant every year, (and this goes beyond just school girls). And reality is that an alternative must be encouraged. Reality is, we must use all resources at our disposal to cut down on the spread of STIs/HIV and unwanted pregnancies. I am a father of 3 teenage children and I have open discussions with them on this very subject.

    Culturally, thats’ the right thing for the Chieftainess to say but very wrong for our times!

  5. I think you have missed the point here chief Waitwika.

    Girls in Zambia are starting to engage in sex as soon as they hit puberty.

    With or without condoms, they jigijigi.

    What they need is education. And tough sentences for those caught abusing under age children.

    If they are 16 and over, they are legal. They can get hammered by any sugar Daddy (and they will).

    So schools, churches, and parents can take the lead in educating their girls….otherwise…

  6. The chief is saying what he is supposed to say. Unfortunately reality and ideal situation do not seem to marry. The ideal situation is for every one to abstain until the day of wedding. The reality is people are engaging in sex before they are married. The intentions of the act are varied and range from involuntary to voluntary for those above a certain age. Should we then sit a bury our heads in sand that people are having sex before they are married? The answer is an absolute no. Our responsibility is to provide an education which will protect the young generation from premature sex, unwanted pregnancies and STIs. To achieve this we have to act beyond turning a blind eye to reality.

  7. We can have all the necessary TRADITIONS in the world but we have to live with REALITY. Societies are supposed to find solutions to deal with REALITY which also means TRUTH. I suggest Africans ditch TRADITIONS which do not contribute to future development of their countries. The Western world, including Asian countries have done that. Most African TRADITIONS perpetuate poverty and misery. Being miserable and poor is not an African TRADITION, but most African leaders think so. They have multiple wives and children without having the resources to raise them. It does not matter how much you earn because if you divide earnings by a bigger number versus a smaller number you will always get less. Do the ARITHMETIC.

  8. Well my comment is on NGOs which have facilitate the use of this contraceptives as a way of reducing early unwanted baby s in most chiefdom you are forgetting that education has been spited out as a way of life in most rural areas.as a results of parents. you will find that there marrying off there daughters as a way of flavor in provision of land,money,and cattle. in African tradition marry are the subject why because the rights of woman has be cancelled by the tradition leaders since they say woman can only clean and bear child.thus the problem so most of this women has taken it as that to get married at early age, now in most the birth control pills there are dangers if there used in excess and the surprise thing is that the same people who are applying this pills dont know how to…

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