Up efforts in fight against child marriages – NGOCC
Written by Millennium on August 3, 2019
TRADITIONAL and civic leaders in Mwense should work together in the fight to eliminate child marriages, says Non-Governmental Gender Organisation Coordinating Council (NGGOCC) project officer for Luapula and Northern Provinces Patricia Lwaile.
Ms Lwaile made the call during a stakeholder’s sensitization meeting on child marriages and gender based violence.
She said her organisation was currently undertaking various programmes aimed at improving the livelihoods and wellbeing of the marginalized groups in rural parts of Zambia.
Ms Lwaile said it was important to sensitize the stakeholders especially the civic and traditional leaders in order to find a lasting solution in chiefdoms on ending child marriages and empowering women with land ownership.
The project officer said traditional and civic leaders had a role to facilitate and ensure full and equal involvement of all the members of the community in the decision-making process for the betterment of children’s lives.
She said traditional leaders were the custodians of customary laws and should ensure that they were applied in a way not to cause human rights violation.
Ms Lwaile said that traditional and civic leaders were a link between the government and the people in transforming the lives of children and other community members.
She also said that there was need for community awareness so that all members were on board with change towards promoting and protecting children’s rights.
And speaking during the same meeting, Chief Kashiba of the Lunda people of Mwense district said poverty was one of the major contributing factors to child marriages.
He appealed to the security wings to be professional as they handled issues relating to defilement and child marriages in the district.-ZANIS
