Friday, March 29, 2024

First Lady warns parents giving children in marriage

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First Lady Esther Lungu has advised parents to stop the habit of consenting to early marriages for material gain.

The First Lady says there is no material gain that is worth compromising the future of the girl child by marrying her off.

Mrs Lungu said that early marriages and pregnancies can be curbed if parents were at the centre of the fight and not being perpetrators.

ZANIS reports that the First Lady was speaking at Matambazi primary school in Sinda district where she was disturbed to learn that 16 girls aged between 12 and 15 years were impregnated this year out of which only five have been successfully re-admitted into school.

The First Lady who is the chairperson of the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust (ELFT) said the Foundation, with support from its cooperating partners, was doing its best to address the problem of early marriages but the fight calls for concerted efforts.

“Early marriages and unintended pregnancies continue to ravage our country, especially in rural areas. And shamelessly, parents even encourage this by separating the two children from their families to live as husband and wife, especially when a girl falls pregnant all in the name of damage,” she said.

She said parents should realize that first pregnancies by minors are high risk therefore needing an all-inclusive-family support.

The First Lady said the government is improving school infrastructure, an indication that it prioritizes education something that should compel guardians to ensure children are kept in school.

“I have been reliably informed that Sinda is one of the districts in the province with high teenage pregnancies and early marriages. This is an indication that we need to partner and ensure that we take advantage of the re-entry policy,” she added.

She further empowered women groups through the Area Women Association with K20 thousand and made donations of medical supplies and school requirements to the health center and school respectively.

The donated items included solar sets, digital thermometers, suction canisters, bicycles, surgical gloves, books, and computers among others.

The first lady also donated similar resources to the Chimunsi community, as well as the special education unit at Tiritonse primary school.

Meanwhile, Provincial Permanent Secretary Veronica Mwiche has commended the First Lady for speaking strongly against unwanted pregnancies and early marriages which continue to obstruct the girl child from attaining their potential.

Ms Mwiche noted that the works of the First Lady’s foundation trust resonate with the goals of the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP).

“Your work coverage speaks directly to some key pillars of the 7NDP in ensuring women and girls access equal opportunities to excel,” the PS said.

And speaking when the first Lady called on her at her palace, Chieftainess Nyanje called on the first lady to continue empowering women as her chiefdom has a lot of viable women who only lack adequate empowerment to boost them.

The Chief also thanked the government for the numerous projects has been completed and still embarking on in the area.

“We are happy with the development government is extending to its people. For instance, my palace was completed a long time ago, the road has been worked on, farming inputs have been delivered in good time, to name just a few,” she explained.

The ELFT focuses on the empowerment of women and girls through economic and education programs, maternal, neonatal and child health issues, water and sanitation as well as persons with disabilities.

The First Lady is in Eastern Province on an 8-day out outreach programme in Mambwe, Chipata, Sinda and Petauke districts which is expected to end on November 11, 2020.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Just legislate and enforce the law. Warnings will not work. I can still drive my car quite a distance with the fuel warning light on.

  2. This back to school policy for girls who are married and have children is a very brilliant idea, what i don’t like is mixing these school returning mothers with young school girls without children.

  3. Sometimes it’s the girls themselves that elope. So it’s not the parents alone. Usually when they are allowed back they begin to tell their friends stories about how enjoyable it is. Those that haven’t tasted the forbidden fruit also begin to desire to experiment and later join the list of adolescent mothers. So this policy is a two-sided sword, while it tries to cure one problem it creates others.

  4. Still campaigning in eastern? Amwa peeling just collect whatever she is giving you but vote wisely so that you don’t rely on such handouts every time.

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