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—Chadiza District Commissioner, Paul Phiri, is saddened with the high prevalence rate of child marriages and child labour in the district.
Mr Phiri observed that girls, as young as 13 years, are married off soon after reaching puberty.
He said the development has led to the increase in maternal deaths and infant mortality as the bodies of these young girls are not yet ready for child bearing.
Mr Phiri said the risk of contracting HIV and AIDS also increases whereas the child is forced to drop out of school because she needs to take care of the home.
The District Commissioner told ZANIS in an exclusive interview that initiation rituals and cattle-herding which impact negatively on the education of the child are also on the increase in the district.
Mr Phiri has since advised traditional counsellors, popularly known as ‘Alangizi’ and ‘Alumbwe’, to ensure that initiation ceremonies that promote bad practices as the children mature into adulthood are stopped.
Meanwhile, pupils at Chilenga Basic School in Chadiza District are sad that despite all efforts by government to stop child marriages some parents were still marrying off their children.
The pupils complained to Chadiza District Commissioner, Paul Phiri, that a grade six pupil of Chilenga Basic School was pulled out of class by her parents and has been married off to a named man from Lusaka.
The pupils have since asked government to quickly intervene in the matter and punish perpetrators of such acts.
And Mr Phiri said harmful practices against children have continued to ravage the country, adding that Chadiza was not an exception.
Mr Phiri said there is need to quickly address the challenges that are affecting children because they may have serious consequence on the future generation.
He has since called on Plan Zambia, Citizens Forum (CF), Women in Law Development in Africa (WiLDAf), and the media to intensify sensitizations in villages and schools in order to promote participation and right awareness among the children.
