Government says 28,700 girls country wide, were retrieved from early marriages and sent back to school under the Girls Education and Women Empowerment project from 2017 to 2020.
Minister of Gender, Elizabeth Phiri says during the same period, 75,000 vulnerable women, country wide, were supported.
She said this when she paid a courtesy call on North-western province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu today before proceeding on her Gender Based Violence (GBV) fact finding tour.
“ For now there are some additions apart from the 75,000, but we are still recruiting and there are some additional numbers which could be beyond 100,000 but the first phase was about 75,000, ” Ms Phiri said.
She added that there has been an increase in the number of GBV cases in the country which could be a sign that people are well sensitized and they are able to report cases.
“But even when it is on the higher side to us we feel people have realized the importance of reporting the matter unlike before when they were just keeping it to themselves when they were battered, ” Ms Phiri said.
And Mr Mubukwanu said the church should be given a prominent role in addressing gender issues in the country.
“ We are very much alive to the fact that most of this gender based violence occurs in our homes and these people who are in these homes are the same people who go to sing in choirs in church and also stand on the pulpit and preach, ” he said.
Mr Mubukwanu said it would not be a misplaced attempt if the church was given a prominent role to help address the issues of gender in the country.
Meanwhile, Young Women Christian Association Regional Coordinator, Chileshe Mwape revealed that North-western province has recorded 146 GBV cases from January to March, this year.
“From the 146 cases only six were males, the 140 were females”, Ms Mwape said.
Ms Mwape said their youngest victim of defilement that they have sheltered in there safe house is three years old.
Very well done. Now we also need to commission a task force to retrieve all those upnd diasporans who have entered marriages with very old whlte grandmothers and fathers just for their stay there abroad.
@Kaizer please have respect for women. You failed those women that’s why they end marrying widowers.
Do you in UK still marry old women like in 80s?
In USA there black-Americans, Red Indians and Latinos girls who are in need of men.
I have 2 women, in 40s, do you want one? Come retrieve her in exchange of your wife, my Ex.
In Nigeria young girls are being retrieved from abduction by extremists, in Zambia they’re being retrieved from marriages… the world is in trouble.
It seems John Sangwa has suffered an early ejaculation
Nostradamus everyone here knows that you are just a perverted little virgin. Grow up